Early one morning in Florissant, Missouri, a quick-thinking KFC cook named Markell Hitchings confronted an armed robber, wrestled him into submission, and kept him pinned until officers arrived. The cook’s instincts, a brief but fierce scuffle by the drive-thru, and fast help from neighboring businesses are the spine of a story about bravery, danger, and a suspect now facing serious charges. The episode left a manager shaken, a community asking questions, and an accused attacker in custody on a heavy bond.
Markell Hitchings, 21, was starting a shift when he noticed a man dressed in black who put him on edge. “I thought he was a regular customer just going to the bathroom and leaving,” Hitchings said, watching the man slip away before returning. That small, nagging suspicion is what made him watch closely when things turned sideways.
Hitchings admitted the worry hadn’t left his mind. “I had it back in my mind that he was going to try to do something.” The man came back behind the counter and the situation escalated quickly, with the suspect demanding cash and a manager dropping to the floor in fear.
“He came back there behind our counter, and it all started from there. At the time, he was asking my manager for money. She dropped to the floor. I told her to give him the money because I didn’t want her to get hurt,” Hitchings recalled, explaining why he told his manager to comply. The robber fled out the front with the cash and circled around to the back of the building, expecting an easy getaway.
But Hitchings was not where the robber thought he’d be. “He asked me for my cell phone, and I didn’t give him my phone — and we got to tussling around in back by the drive-thru,” Hitchings said, describing a physical fight that lasted several minutes. During the scuffle the suspect’s gun flew out of his hand, creating an even more dangerous scramble.
“I was screaming for help because I was losing adrenaline,” Hitchings said, admitting how chaotic it felt in the moment. “Once I had him in a chokehold, I’m on his back.” He added, “He grabbed rocks and tried to smash them over my head, but it didn’t work.”
Employees at a nearby business heard the commotion and called 911, and Hitchings kept the suspect restrained until police reached the scene. Officers arrested the man, later identified as Tamon Sleet, and reported recovering a stolen firearm used during the robbery along with the currency taken from the restaurant. The swift action from staff and neighbors turned what could have been a tragic escape into an arrest on the spot.
Investigators say Sleet has an alleged violent history that goes beyond this robbery, including an attempt to strangle a ride-share driver in north St. Louis County days earlier. That detail added urgency to the arrest and to the charges Sleet now faces, which include assault, armed criminal action, and vehicle hijacking among others. The community is relieved those incidents ended without loss of life.
“It all just happened so fast. I know it was dangerous.” Hitchings reflected on how quickly events unfolded and how risky it was to intervene. He made clear he does not recommend others try to replicate what he did, acknowledging the danger even as he described the adrenaline and fear that flipped into action.
“I wouldn’t advise anyone to do that. I was never afraid at all. Honestly, I thank God that it all played out the way it did,” Hitchings added, repeating a sentiment of shock mixed with gratitude for the outcome. That mix of humility and courage is what friends and coworkers say defines him, someone who put another person’s safety above his own instincts to run.
Authorities say Sleet remained jailed on a $250,000 cash-only bond as the case moved forward. For now, the focus in Florissant is on recovery for the staff, praise for the quick calls from neighbors, and ongoing questions about how to keep small businesses and their workers safe during early morning shifts.
