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Features
Carjacker Hits Boy And Forces Him Out Of Vehicle
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Tampa Police Depart- ment is currently searching for a man who struck a 12-year- old boy in the face and forced him out of a vehicle. The inci- dent took place Friday evening.
According to police, around 5:30 p.m., last Friday, a mother parked her 2009 Toy- ota Corolla at Bible-Based Fel- lowship Christian Childcare Center, 8718 N. 46th Street. She left the motor running in the car and her 12-year-old son sit- ting in the front seat while she went inside to get her toddler.
While the mother was in- side the building, an unidenti- fied man approached the car, punched the boy in the face and told him to get out of the car. The man then fled the scene with the car. The child suffered from swelling and bruising to his face and was treated at the scene.
The suspect is described as being a Black man 19 to 20 years old. He was approxi- mately 6 feet tall and weighs about 180 pounds. His hair was in twists, he had gold teeth, earrings in both ears,
REV. DR. EARL MASON ... Pastor of Bible-Based Fel- lowship of Temple Terrace
and was last seen wearing a blue polo style shirt and blue jeans.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said the vehicle was located later that evening in the 8500 block of N. Brooks Street. However, the suspect has not been iden- tified or taken into custody. The investigation is continu- ing.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information per- taining to the case.
Pastor Urges Vigilance Rev. Dr. Earl Mason, Senior Pastor of Bible-Based
Fellowship of Temple Terrace said, “This should be a re- minder to parents not to do this. It only takes a minute. We have never had anything like this happen before. And this mother normally does not do it, but this shows it only takes that one time.
“I am very thankful that the child was not hurt any more than he was. We should see this as a reminder that we all must be alert and remain vigi- lant,” he said.
Rev. Dr. Mason further said that in many instances such as this, the person com- mitting the act has a drug problem. But when and if he is arrested, he will be sent to jail.
“He will be arrested, which is appropriate. But if he does have an addiction, and I’m not saying that he does because I don’t know him, I think he should be given some medical attention. Many times an ad- diction is a factor.
“People can get treatment for addictions to alcohol, ciga- rettes, and other things, but not drugs. Drugs is the only addiction that is not consid- ered in a crime. I think that the incarceration should also come with medication,” he said.
‘Shark Tank’ Star Shares Views At Book Signing
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Each week, millions tune into ABC’s The Shark Tank to watch business executive Day- mond John and five other “sharks” hear pitches from en- trepreneurs hoping to woo one of them into backing their business.
Some are successful; many are not.
But the key to true success in business isn’t the amount of money, but drive and determi- nation that you put into it.
That’s the message Mr. John imparted to hundreds of fans who on Thursday crammed inside the Oxford Exchange Restaurant to meet him and have him sign copies of his latest book, “The Power Of Broke.”
The book is a 269-page tome that mixes Mr. John’s personal experiences and the anecdotes of others to show how starting a business from zero can catapult entrepre- neurs to success.
“I wrote the book to give people power,” he said. “The theory of the book is you don’t need money to make money.”
Contractual obligations with Shark Tank prevented Mr. John from hearing pitches from fans. But the founder of clothing line, FUBU encouraged audience members to network and talk to each other about their businesses.
The true purpose of the gathering was to offer atten- dees the chance to make local connections that could help them take their business to the next level, Mr. John said.
“The people who are here right now are entrepreneurs,” he said. “Make sure you take every single person’s business card.”
Mr. John’s own power of broke story began in the base- ment of his home where he made hats and sold them on the streets of his Queens, New
FUBU clothing line founder and ‘Shark Tank’ star Daymond John.
York City neighborhood.
That venture eventually grew into urban garment behe- moth FUBU (which stands For Us, By Us) which grew in pop- ularity thanks to endorsements from rappers like LL Cool J. At its peak, FUBU pulled in more than $300 million in an-
nual sales.
Today, Mr. John’s net
worth is estimated to be about $250 million.
Shark Tank, which debuted in 2009, garners millions of viewers each week and earns high ratings.
Behind the pitches, prod- ucts, and services highlighted on the long-running reality show are real, as are the deals that are made, Mr. John said.
The decision to make a deal comes down to one thing, Mr. John said.
“We don’t invest in compa- nies,” he said. “We invest in people.”
Mr. John’s remarks were brief, but left a profound effect on Belinthia Berry.
Ms. Berry said she’s an avid watcher of Shark Tank and has followed Mr. John’s career since FUBU’s early days.
“For him to be a high-level executive and to come to Tampa and give words of en- couragement...it was powerful to me,” she said. “I thought it was amazing.”
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