By Samantha Joseph
Staff Writer
JENSEN BEACH - A marijuana buying trip went horribly wrong for three Port St. Lucie men, who ended up being robbed at gunpoint in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Their dealers, it turned out, arrived at the exchange site - the Wal-Mart south of Port St. Lucie Boulevard - with plans to rob them and speed off down Federal Highway.
The men behind the drug sale-slash-robbery are in the Martin County Jail, each facing three felony counts.
Arrested was Jonathan McKinney, 22, 1949 S.E. Mandrake Circle, Port. Lucie. Also arrested were Anthony Grant, 24, 1227 S.W. Byron St., and Marcus Melendez Tolbert, 22, 2433 S.E. Calusa Ave., both of Port St. Lucie.
All were held pending $120,000 bond.
Martin County deputies responding to the late-night call had to chase down the robbers who were fleeing the store's parking in a Chevy Cavalier. The men crossed into Jensen Beach, eventually stopping after several officers pursued them to the north entrance of the BJ's Club on Northwest Federal Highway.
Deputies then returned the men to the scene of the crime, where their would-be-clients were able to identify them.
The victims said the three men made off with "everything they had" - wallets, about $133 in cash, driver licenses, two cell phones and credit cards.
Investigators said the suspects tried to dispose of the gun, but a K9 officer helped retrieve it outside the store.
It was unclear at press time whether any charges were being pressed against the robbery victims.