KIDNAPPING ARREST

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department says a Pensacola man has been arrested for kidnapping and robbing an ex-coworker, then shooting him. Robert Rodriguez kidnapped the man from their home in the 900 block of Crystal Springs Avenue in the Crescent Lake subdivision then took him to the ATM at Regions Spring Bank at Saufley Field Road in Pensacola where money was taken from the victim’s account. Rodriguez then drove the victim to Seminole, Alabama, where he shot him in the chest and left him in a ditch. Returning to Escambia County he was spotted by deputies who tried to make a traffic stop, but he refused to stop and was eventually forced off Fairfield Drive. Rodriguez was taken to a local hospital and will be charged with kidnapping, auto theft, aggravated battery, and fleeing and eluding law enforcement. The condition of the victim is unknown.