Citra man found gilty of carjacking at gunpoint

State Attorney's Office, Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties

Marion County, Florida - On Friday, May 17, 2024, in the courtroom of Circuit Court Judge, the Homorable Peter Brigham, a jury found 62 year-old Ronny Scott Cooper, of Citra, Florida, guilty of carjacking at gunpoint, an incident that eventually resulted in his apprehension in Louisiana.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon.

The carjacking occurred on March 17, 2019, at a Petro truck stop in Irvine, Florida in Marion County. Prior to the carjacking, Cooper had asked numerous people at the gas station if they were heading to Lake City. He then spoke to a juvenile, who was pumping gas to a truck, asking her if she was traveling to Lake City. When the juvenile said no, Cooper brandished what appeared to be a black pistol, demanding cash from the victim and the victim's truck. When the victim told Cooper she had no cash, Cooper entered her vehicle and took off.

Just two days later on March 19, a deputy with the East Baton Rouge Louisiana Sheriff's Office located Cooper sitting near the stolen vehicle, which by then had been wrecked and was immobilized on a golf course. Cooper initially claimed that he was a singer, traveling from Las Vegas, Nevada to Jacksonville, Flrida, stating that the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend.

After checking the vehicle's tag number in the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID), the deputy learned that the truck had been stolen from Marion County, Florida. Cooper later admitted he'd taken the vehicle from a woman at a gas station. An airsoft gun, which closely resembled a real firearm, was found inside the stolen vehicle. Cooper was arrested.

"The courage of the victim, to testify during trial and identify the defendant before the jury, was ultimately the deciding factor for jurors in rendering their verdict," said State Atttorney Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit.

Cooper has a prior criminal history that includes convictions for grand theft of a motor vehicle and robbery with a gun or deadly weapon.