A Friday night workout at a Titusville Planet Fitness turned into a scramble for the exits after someone reported a masked man armed with a gun inside the men's locker room. Police arrived at the Cheney Highway gym to find it already evacuating, and within minutes they had a man in custody — though officers say the weapon everyone feared was never found.
Gym Clears Out as Officers Rush In
Titusville police responded to the Planet Fitness at 700 Cheney Highway at around 9:25 p.m. on Oct. 23, according to WKMG ClickOrlando. Officers had received a report that a masked individual was armed with a firearm inside the men's locker room, and by the time they got there, the business was already evacuating, the station reports. The sudden rush of panicked gymgoers gave officers their first sign of just how seriously the threat was being taken before they ever laid eyes on a suspect.
Officers identified the man as Trevon M. Syndab of Rockledge and took him into custody after what the station describes as a brief struggle. Syndab is 28 years old, according to one part of the same report, though a subtitle in the same article lists him as 38 — a discrepancy the available reporting does not resolve.
Searches Turn Up Drug Paraphernalia, Not a Gun
Despite the initial report of a firearm, a search of Syndab did not turn one up on his person, and a subsequent search of the locker room also failed to locate a gun, the station notes. What investigators did find, per Talk of Titusville, was the mask Syndab was reportedly wearing, tucked in alongside his personal belongings.
The same outlet reports that a glass pipe recovered during the search field-tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine. Under Florida law, possession of such paraphernalia can be charged as a misdemeanor offense, as outlined in Florida Statutes Section 893.147.
Charges and Bond
Syndab now faces charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct. He was booked and held on a $750 bond, according to the original report. No court disposition has been reported, and no firearm connected to the incident has been recovered or confirmed to have existed beyond the initial report that sent the gym scrambling.
