TAMPA, FL – A brazen daylight robbery at a Tampa gas station has landed 29-year-old Brandale Swails in federal custody. Swails is facing serious charges after allegedly holding a clerk at gunpoint and making off with an undisclosed amount of cash back on October 15, 2023.
According to court documents, Swails rolled up to the gas station on a bicycle, immediately brandishing a firearm at the unsuspecting clerk. The clerk, wisely retreating behind the counter, became the target of Swails’ escalating threats. Undeterred, Swails vaulted over the counter, demanding one-hundred-dollar bills and continuing to threaten the clerk with deadly force.
The situation escalated further as Swails forced the clerk into a bathroom, maintaining gunpoint control throughout. Once satisfied with his haul, Swails fled the scene on his bicycle, leaving behind a traumatized victim and a frantic investigation. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) quickly launched a manhunt.
The search didn’t take long. Two weeks later, authorities located Swails hiding inside a bedroom closet, bringing an end to his brief run from the law. Now, Swails is facing an indictment charging him with Hobbs Act robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The Hobbs Act covers robberies that affect interstate commerce, bringing federal jurisdiction into play.
If convicted on both counts, Swails is looking at a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diego F. Novaes is prosecuting the case, and the government is determined to see justice served. This case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence.
U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg stressed that an indictment is merely an accusation. Swails, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But the evidence, according to authorities, paints a clear picture of a dangerous individual who put a clerk’s life at risk for a quick score. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.
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