Truck Stop Homicide Suspect ID'd From Surveillance Video
WESTON (CBSMiami) – Homicide detectives with the Broward Sheriff's Office have identified a suspect in the death of 28-year-old Kimberlyn Clarke, who hit her head during a robbery at a Weston truck stop.
Detectives say Ronnie Lanard Tyson, 20, of Lauderhill, was captured on video at the Seminole Truck Stop in the early-morning hours of Sept. 20th.
"He can run, but he can't hid," said Clark's mom Marjorie Crossfield. "As long as they got all that information about him, he can't hide."
Clarke had been attending a Jamaican Night event at the Café 27 Tiki Bar when Tyson and another man decided to rob another attendee, according to BSO.
Surveillance video captured Tyson spraying pepper spray in the man's face to distract him as his accomplice tried to yank the silver chain and medallion from his neck. The pepper spray drifted into the large crowd, and people began to run.
As Clarke inhaled the spray, she struggled to breathe, fell and hit her head on the rear bumper of a van.
"Witnesses told detectives that as she was running, she was saying, 'I can't breathe, can somebody please help me. It was about 20 minutes later that people realized she was still down on the ground unconscious," said BSO spokeswoman Dani Moschella.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue paramedics transported Clarke to the hospital in critical condition. She never regained consciousness and died Sept. 29. The autopsy found she died from the pepper spray.
"That was a deadly spray," said Crossfield, "and that's not pepper spray; it must be something more terrible."
Detectives initially released surveillance video that showed the robbery and both suspects running off camera.
"They used that pepper spray as a distraction technique during the robbery so they're just trying to get that silver chain and medallion off the victim," said Moschella.
The robbery victim is seen on video retrieving his handgun from his car and running after them, only to retreat moments later after spotting an FHP trooper working an off-duty detail at the truck stop.
A second surveillance video released by detectives showed Tyson at the truck stop convenience store about two hours before pepper spraying the crowd.
Clark's mom said her daughter loved children, she worked with troubled kids in her spare time. Now, Crossfield is hoping Clarke's good works live on.
"I wish that a lot of young girls, young men, would follow her footsteps by being a mentor for kids that need them," said Crossfield.
Detectives have received multiple Crime Stoppers tips identifying Tyson and are now asking for the public's help finding him and identifying the second suspect.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call BSO Homicide Det. Kevin Forsberg at (954) 321-4210 or contact Broward Crime Stoppers anonymously at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
