Arrest made in Miami Springs sexual assault attempt foiled by clerk with plunger
MIAMI SPRINGS - A man who police say attempted to sexually assault a store clerk, only to be thwarted when she fought back with a toilet plunger, has been arrested.
Tyrone Ambrister, 30, turned himself in to Miami Springs police on Sunday, Nov. 24. He has been charged with attempted sexual battery, false imprisonment and burglary with assault.
The incident happened late Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Red Eye Smoke Shop at 12 Canal St. in Miami Springs.
Just minutes before the store's closing, 30-year-old Tyrone Ambrister returned after making a purchase earlier in the evening. He had his shirt draped around his shoulder and asked the clerk about buying some marijuana, according to his arrest report. The store clerk reportedly told him the store did not sell marijuana.
Ambrister allegedly then offered her $100 for sex.
As she tried to de-escalate the situation, Armbrister is accused of going behind the counter and forcibly dragging her into a storage room in the back of the store. In the storage room, he threw her to the ground, groped her and attempted to pull down her pants, according to the arrest report.
The clerk, however, grabbed a toilet plunger and used it to strike the attacker multiple times.
When the clerk screamed, Ambrister reportedly placed his shirt over her mouth. After she kicked him several times, he released her, according to the report. She then told him she had pressed the alarm and the police were on the way.
Armbrister initially headed toward the door but then he turned back and attacked the clerk again, according to the report. That's when the clerk grabbed a toilet plunger and hit him several times. He then ran off.
On Nov. 24, Armbrister turned himself in to police.
During questioning, he reportedly gave a full confession. He told investigators he had been drinking with some acquaintances before the incident and said he "blacked out" when he approached the clerk in "an aggressive manner," according to police. He told police he came back to his senses when she told him the police were on the way.
"Def (Armbrister) was remorseful and feels he only acted that way because he believes one of the acquaintances 'slipped something' in his drink," according to the report.