Ocala police are searching for a man who jumped over the counter at the Days Inn in Ocala and attacked the female front desk clerk.
The man entered the hotel located at 3811 NW Blitchton Road at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and tackled and punched the clerk in the face. He then tied her hands together and demanded money. He also demanded her purse. She lied and told him it was in the back kitchen in order to try and get him away from her so she could call 911, however he caught her trying to call for help and punched her in the face again.
The suspect located her purse at the front desk, dumped it out and stole the victim’s cell phone. The suspect fled the scene.
When Ocala police officers arrived on the scene, they found the woman bleeding profusely from the face and her left eye to be swollen shut. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Her car, a 2013 silver Nissan Rogue, was also stolen from the hotel parking lot.
The suspect in this incident is described as a black male in his early 20s, standing approximately 6 feet tall with a slender build. He was wearing gray sweatpants, a black T-shirt and had a piece of white cloth tied around the lower portion of his face.
Anyone with information on the identity and/or location of this suspect is asked to call Detective L. Uptagraft at (352) 369-7143. Information may also be submitted through our free mobile app, MYPD, or through Crime Stoppers of Marion County by calling 352-368-STOP(7867), texting tips to 274637 using keyword 368STOP, or submitting tips to www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.