(Marion County, FL) On Friday, May 17, 2024, in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Brigham, a jury found 62-year-old Ronny Scott Cooper guilty of Carjacking at Gunpoint, an incident that concluded with his apprehension in Louisiana.

The carjacking occurred on March 17, 2019, at a Petro truck stop in Irvine. Cooper had previously asked multiple individuals at the gas station if they were heading to Lake City. When no one responded, he approached the victim, who was pumping gas, to ask if they were traveling there, to which the juvenile victim responded no.

Upon hearing this, Cooper then brandished what appeared to be a black pistol and demanded cash from the victim, along with the victim’s truck. The victim stated they had no cash, at which point Cooper then entered the victim’s vehicle and took off.  

Just two days later, an East Baton Rouge Louisiana Sheriff’s Office deputy located Cooper sitting near the vehicle, which was now wrecked and immobilized on a golf course. Cooper initially claimed he was a singer traveling from Las Vegas to Jacksonville and that the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend.

After running the vehicle’s tag, officials learned that the truck was stolen out of Marion County. Post Miranda, Cooper admitted to taking it from a woman at a gas station. An airsoft gun, which closely resembled a real firearm, was found in the vehicle.  Cooper was subsequently arrested.

“The courage of the victim to testify during trial and identify the defendant before the jury was ultimately the deciding factor for jurors in rendering their verdict,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney.

Cooper has a prior criminal history that includes convictions for grand theft of a motor vehicle and robbery with a gun or deadly weapon.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon.

Published on 05/20/2024.