MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – March 8, 2024 – New surveillance video obtained by News13 shows the dramatic moments of an attempted armed robbery inside a Myrtle Beach jewelry store in February 2023.
Michael James Alexander Perez, 34, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to armed robbery and was sentenced to 13 years in prison, according to the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. He must serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for supervised release.
Perez entered a jewelry store and presented a loaded pistol at the staff and demanded they open their Rolex case.
“It was fast, I saw a guy on the security camera coming through the front door literally with a gun out in his hand,” owner Jacob Medina said.
Medina said it only took about 20 seconds until Perez was on top of him. And with his gun out, he said defending himself was his first instinct.
“He had his gun out when he walked in and he loaded it, racked around as he was coming through the front door,” Medina said. “And I believe he said ‘get the Rolexes out’ or something to that effect.”
Medina said he shot six times, hitting Perez twice in the torso, once in each wrist and one that went through the side of his face. He said Perez shot about four times, thankfully missing him and other employees.
“You don’t even have time to think,” Medina said. “I just, it was a fight-or-flight response and obviously I chose to fight.”
Perez then got on a motorcycle driven by someone else after he was shot and was taken to South Strand Hospital before being taken in an ambulance to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, according to a report obtained by News13. The person who dropped him off left.
Myrtle Beach police told News13 on Wednesday that it is still an active investigation to identify the motorcycle driver.
15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said police reports showed no co-defendants.
“In this case, there was only one,” he said. “That could’ve been for a number of reasons. Maybe they couldn’t tie the motorcyclist back to the robbery.”
Click here to view video of the crime and the article written by Caleb McCusker and Jackie LiBrizzi, which is posted above.