Concerns raised over security at internet cafes following deadly robbery

2 armed robbers shot, killed at Spin City Sweepstakes Sunday night

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Internet gaming cafes are all over Jacksonville. They can mean big money for customers and owners, but a deadly robbery at one Sunday night has some questioning their safety.

A security guard at Spin City Sweepstakes on Beach Boulevard shot and killed two armed robbers.

Police are still looking for two other people in connection with the incident — another robber and a getaway driver who drove away from the area in a Jeep.

After Sunday night’s robbery, other gaming center owners and employees are voicing their safety concerns.

Some say that, even with security guards, more needs to be done to protect customers and employees.

An employee at a nearby businesses said she and her co-workers worry daily about robberies, adding that there’s talk of adding metal detectors and keeping doors locked to screen customers before they enter.

“That particular business, that type of business, deals with large sums of money all the time, and they are very busy all the time, so you have more of an occasion to have the threat of more money there for the effort, so to speak,” said Gregory DiFranza, who is retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

He said, in many cases, gaming centers are particularly vulnerable, and the robbers Sunday night likely knew the risks.

“He did his job,” DiFranza said of the security guard. “You come in to rob a place and the consequence is that you might get killed in the process.”

DiFranza said if these types of venues don’t already have guards in place, Sunday night’s robbery on the southside should serve as motivation to get them.

“Depending upon what your security setup is inside, sometimes if it’s not hard enough, then you do need someone there to help you out, whether it’s an off-duty police officer or security guard,” DiFranza said.

The Spin City Sweepstakes employee said business has been slow since the robbery.

As police continue searching for the third robber in the case, as well as the driver of the Jeep, they are asking anyone with any information to call Crime Stoppers.