Holmes Beach man launches one-night crime spree that ends in the jaws of a K-9, cops say

Mason Bannister, 26, of Holmes Beach, faces multiple felonies to include carjacking, aggravated battery and burglary charges, all collected within an hour on Tuesday night, Manatee County sheriff’s deputies say.

According to the arrest report, Bannister began his short-term crime spree around 9:50 p.m. at the Shell gas station located at 8471 Lockwood Ridge Road. Deputies say Bannister first attempted to open the car door of one of the station’s clerk’s, but it was locked.

Deputies say he then entered the store and brought items to the front and when he tried to use a credit card, it was declined.

The clerk handed him the receipt indicating the card was declined and Bannister wrote an expletive on the receipt, “beelined around the corner and viciously head butted (the clerk) in the face, propelling him to the floor and knocking out a tooth,” according to the report.

As deputies put out a description of the suspect, a call came in that an attempted carjacking took place in nearby Lakeridge Falls matching Bannister’s description, deputies say. The attempt was unsuccessful as the female driver refused to exit her vehicle.

Deputies say Bannister ran away from the scene and attempted to break into a vehicle in Glenbrooke, at which time deputies were on his trail. The first deputy to reach Bannister was a K-9.

“He was soon collared by K-9 (with bite),” the report states.

Bannister was treated for the bite and booked into the Manatee County jail, where he remained in custody on Wednesday.