Sarasota police believe Subway robber killed day later in Hernando County

SARASOTA -- The Sarasota Police Department say they believe an armed robbery suspect killed Wednesday in Hernando County is the same man who committed an armed robbery at 4:45 p.m. Monday at a Sarasota Subway.

Sarasota police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said the suspect has been identified as Michael Hilber. The investigation in Sarasota is ongoing, Judge said.

Sarasota police said the suspect walked into a Subway, 1154 North Washington Blvd., pointed a firearm at the clerks and demanded cash. The suspect ran off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

At a press conference Wednesday, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis shared details leading to the shooting of Hilber, one of two suspects in an armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at a Dollar General store, 6336 Sherman Hills Blvd., Brooksville.

Nienhuis said two citizens pursued the robbery suspects and tried to restrain them, but the suspects got away. Another citizen followed the suspects to the south-central portion of Hernando County, the sheriff's report added.

Deputies arrived soon after and began tracking the 29-year-old Hilber.

"My deputies engaged that suspect and did use deadly force on that individual and that individual is deceased," Nienhuis said.

In a frantic 911 call posted on the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, a Dollar General employee said two customers were chasing the suspect.

"I can't help them, they've already left," she said.

A dispatcher asked the woman if the suspect was armed.

"Yes, he had a gun," the woman said. "He had a gun, yes, he had a gun!"

Deputies in Hernando County conducted an exhaustive search into late Tuesday night in the areas of Saturn Road, Ayers Road and U.S. 41 for the second suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Derek Stephen Kelley, according to a Facebook update from the agency. Kelley was arrested Wednesday morning.

According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, Kelley is charged with being principal to armed robbery with a firearm, a felony. Kelley was held without bond at the Hernando County Detention Facility.

The sheriff linked both men to New Hampshire.

According to Nienhuis, someone brought the video of the armed robbery in Sarasota to his agency's attention Tuesday night. He showed the video at the press conference.

"This is a Subway robbery in Sarasota and we believe that this individual is the deceased suspect," he said.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 10:32 PM with the headline "Sarasota police believe Subway robber killed day later in Hernando County ."