Florida Robber Asking Taco Bell Customer to ‘Drop Pants’ is Shot Dead in Response

Broward Sheriff’s officials say a would-be robber was shot dead by his intended victim outside a Taco Bell restaurant.

The events unfolded Tuesday afternoon in a Taco Bell parking lot in Pompano Beach.

Deputies say 37-year-old Ronald Farmer was standing beside his car when an armed man approached him wearing a ski mask and sunglasses. The man told Farmer he was robbing him and ordered him to drop his pants. Farmer told authorities he began to comply with the orders but distracted the man’s attention and reached for his own gun. He shot the man, who was later identified as 21-year-old Rontavis James Holton.

Farmer ran into the restaurant seeking help. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue took Holton to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation continues.