Man Surrenders To SWAT Team For Bank Of America Robbery

A 57-year-old Gulf Gate man is in jail today after surrending to the Sarasota County Sheriff's SWAT team for a bank robbery.

The sheriff's office arrested John Samuel Gay, for Wednesday's robbery at the Bank Of America, 6525 South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.

Deputies responding to the alarm at 2:31 p.m., were able to identify Gay as the suspect and received information that he had returned to his apartment in the 6300 block of Gateway Avenue, according to the sheriff's office.

A perimeter was established but the suspect refused to come out of his home. The SWAT team made numerous attempts to establish communication with him, but around 8 p.m., subsequently breached a window of the home and Gay surrendered peacefully, according to the sheriff's office.

Gay will be charged with Armed Robbery and booked into the Sarasota County Jail, according to the sheriff's office. He is a habitual felon with 22 prior felony arrests and 14 felony convictions, according to the sheriff's office.

He was scheduled to appear in court tomorrow to accept a plea agreement in a Venice robbery case in which he would be sentenced to five years in prison, according to the sheriff's office.