Photos for Headline Surfer / VCBJ mugshots of two Winter Park residents - John M. Grahan, 33 (left), and Klandi T. Brooks, 24 - arrested by Daytona Beach police on robbery charges at the Sunoco station on W. International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Two Winter Park men were arrested before dawn on this Tuesday morning in an early-morning gas station robbery near Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach cops said.
John M. Graham, 33, of Winter Park, was charged with felony robbery with a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, also a felony, the morning robbery at the Sunoco on 2501 West International Speedway Blvd.
A second Winter Park resident, 24-year-old Klandi T. Brooks, was charged with felony principal to robbery with a firearm.
Daytona Beach cops responded to the Sunoco soon after an employee called Volusia County emergency dispatch around 4:45 a.m., saying that a man wrapped in a blanket and wearing a wig, glasses, facemask and yellow shoes pulled a gun on her after he had asked her for a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter.
Daytona Beach cops responded to the Sunoco soon after an employee called Volusia County emergency dispatch around 4:45 a.m., saying that a man wrapped in a blanket and wearing a wig, glasses, facemask and yellow shoes pulled a gun on her after he had asked her for a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter.
That man – later identified as Graham – fled after taking the cigarettes and some cash from the register, heading south towards Thames Road. K-9 units tracking the suspect managed to find the wig in a shopping plaza nearby and tire tracks that indicated the suspect may have fled in a vehicle.
While that search was going on, other DBPD officers discovered a rental truck parked near the Best Buy (1900 West ISB) which matched a vehicle that VSO was looking for in the DeBary robbery. They also found Graham and Brooks walking on foot through the nearby Wawa gas station and took them into custody after officers noticed that Graham’s description and clothing matched the suspect in the Sunoco robbery.
Soon after Graham was detained, officers found a firearm tucked in his waistband while doing a safety pat-down. A similar pat-down on Brooks turned up the keys to the rental truck found in the Best Buy parking lot.
Graham and Brooks are both held without bond at Volusia County Jail pending their first appearance in court.
Volusia County Sheriff's deputies assisted Daytona Beach cops at the scene, Daytona Beach police PIO Messod Bendayan said.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.