Suspect in 3 armed Pittsburgh dollar store robberies taken into custody in Florida

PITTSBURGH — A man accused of robbing three Family Dollar stores in Pittsburgh at gunpoint was arrested Wednesday in Florida.

James Battle, 46, was taken into custody at a relative’s home in Clermont by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and police from Orange County, authorities said. He hid in a bathroom of the home for a time before surrendering.

A woman who came forward to police at the end of July helped authorities identify Battle after surveillance photos were released. Police said the woman saw the photos, called police, said she knew him and pointed officers to her car, which she said he took without her knowledge.

According to documents that Channel 11 News obtained from police, Battle is accused of pointing a gun at a clerk’s head at the Family Dollar store on Penn Avenue and demanded money, saying, “The safe.”

Police said at the store in Lawrenceville, Battle pulled out a gun and told the clerk to open the drawer and then lie down on the floor.

Authorities said during the third robbery at a store in Spring Garden, Battle was with a second person, but again a gun was pointed at the clerk while other customers were told to get down on the ground.

According to the complaint, a store employee picked out Battle's picture, saying, “This is the man who robbed me. I'll never forget his face.”

Channel 11 News looked into Battle’s arrest history, which dates back to 2003. According to court records, he was arrested on charges of intimidating a witness or victim, aggravated assault and riot. Most recently, he was arrested in 2014 on charges of possession of a firearm, escape and tampering with or fabricating evidence.

As of Thursday, Battle is awaiting extradition back to Pittsburgh to face charges in the Family Dollar robberies.

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Cox Media Group