Man arrested in connection to armed robbery at Cape Coral Publix

Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:
Matthew Sorge Credit: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A suspect has been arrested for an armed robbery that occurred at a Cape Coral Publix over the weekend.

On Wednesday, officers with the Cape Coral Police Department arrested 19-year-old Matthew Bryan Sorge for robbery with a weapon and resisting arrest without violence.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on Sunday at approximately 12:02 p.m., officers responded to Publix at 1631 Del Prado Boulevard South in reference to a robbery.

The caller said a man pulled a knife on a Publix employee who confronted him about shoplifting.

He was described as wearing a black face mask, a blue hoodie and a black backpack. He appeared to be in his 20s and left on a black bicycle.

The Publix employee told officers he was monitoring the suspect while he was in the store because of his dark clothing.

A Publix employee is approaching Matthew Bryan Sorge. Credit: The Cape Coral Police Department

He saw the man take a bottle of deodorant and put it in his backpack side pocket, where it was still visible.

The employee said the man told him “Don’t touch me,” before pulling up his hoodie and revealing a knife.

When the employee told the suspect to leave the premises, the man got onto his bicycle and stated, “You will die,” and that he was coming back.

On Monday, Detectives got a call from the school resource officer at North Nicholas High School. They said a student came to his office saying they overheard a classmate, Matthew Sorge, bragging about committing the robbery at Publix.

The student said other students were pointing out Sorge had the same Vans shoes as seen on the suspect in the still photos from the robbery.

Detectives talked to Sorge, whose story about his whereabouts on Sunday was inconsistent during the interview.

Matthew Bryan Sorge. Credit: The Cape Coral Police Department

At the time of the interview, he was wearing gray Crocs shoes. Surveillance video from the school showed that he went to school Monday wearing Vans shoes, and after the confession to the students, he switched shoes with another student to the gray Crocs.

That student told detectives after they switched shoes, Sorge asked him to throw the Vans into a nearby lake. Detectives found one of the Vans shoes on the shoreline of that lake. 

On Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., Sorge agreed to be interviewed.

When a detective approached him to begin the interview, Sorge backed away and said, “Don’t touch me,” before running away.

The detective gave loud verbal commands for Sorge to stop, and while running, Sorge admitted to the robbery.

Sorge continued to resist the detective’s efforts to handcuff him. 

Sorge is being charged with robbery with a weapon and resisting without violence.

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