Familiar customer reportedly holds up gas station

OCALA – A regular customer of the Chevron gas station at 1327 E. Silver Springs Blvd. reportedly held up a clerk there Tuesday evening.

According to Ocala police, David Phok, a store employee and son of the owners, told officers the woman entered the store and filled out a Western Union order form. After several minutes, she asked for assistance. As he approached, she pushed him in an attempt to get behind the counter.

The clerk said he pushed a panic button.

The woman told him she had a gun. Although Phok did not see a weapon, he allowed the woman to come behind the counter and open the cash register, from which she took $40 to $60 in cash.

Phok said she then got into a beige Honda and left.

Phalla Thing, the store’s owner, gave police a photo identification card showing the suspect’s picture. The copy was maintained by the store when the suspect came in to cash a paycheck.

The suspect has been identified as Leila Ann Shoukry, 27, who is approximately 5 foot 2, with brown hair, and who last was seen wearing a blue and yellow collared shirt and blue jeans.

Police also obtained surveillance pictures of the robbery.

On June 9, the store was the site of an attempted robbery by two men - one of whom tugged on the door so hard it ripped off its hinges. They escaped empty-handed, but were captured by police later that night.

HongHuy “Alex” Phok, a co-owner of the store, and the man who held onto the door for dear life on June 9, said Wednesday the store would remain open despite the two incidents.

“We have to do our duty. We can’t close the store. We got bills to pay. It’s our work,” he said.

He added that he wished police had responded sooner when his son pushed the panic button. According to the report, the robbery was reported at 7:46 p.m. and police arrived four minutes later.

Anyone with any information about this case can call the Ocala Police Department at 369-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or log on to ocalacrimestoppers.com.

Austin L. Miller may be reached at 867-4118 or austin.miller@starbanner.com.