FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: January 11, 2008 Dominic Guadagnoli, Public Affairs Officer (850) 554-6602   Suspect Wanted for Robbery & Pistol Whipping Victim Caught by Marshals Task Force   Okaloosa County, FL -The U.S. Marshals North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force captured a North Carolina man suspected of robbing another man and then pistol whipping him 2 months ago in Wilmington, North Carolina. A warrant from Wilmington charges Marcus Antone Williams aka “Smoke” with Armed Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault with Serious Bodily Injury and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. According to reports from the Wilmington Police Department, on November 17, 2007, the 26 year old Williams struck a man in the back of the head with a pistol and stole $250.00 from the victim. Williams has two prior convictions for robbery with a firearm and is currently on state parole in North Carolina. Earlier today, the Marshals Task Force in Pensacola had received information from the U.S. Marshals in North Carolina that Williams may be staying at a house in Navarre. Using that information and developing some additional leads, task force members from the North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force confirmed that the address was going to be a relative’s house on the 2200 block of Prytania Circle in Navarre. Late Friday afternoon, the Task Force set up surveillance in the area and eventually spotted Williams leaving the residence as a passenger in one of the relative’s cars. Deputy Marshals and Task Force Investigators from Escambia County Sheriff’s Office summoned assistance from the Sheriff’s Office in Okaloosa when they followed the car into Okaloosa County. At about 5:00 p.m. the Task Force and patrol deputies from Okaloosa conducted a felony car stop of the vehicle on Highway 98 at the intersection of Cody Avenue which is the entrance to Eglin Air Force Base’s Hurlburt Field located in Mary Esther. Williams was taken into custody without further incident. Williams was booked in at the Okaloosa County Jail and will remain there until he is extradited back to North Carolina. The U.S. Marshals North Florida Violent Fugitive Task Force (NFVFTF) in Pensacola is a team consisting of law enforcement officers from 9 local, state and federal agencies. The task force’s objective is to seek out and arrest the areas most violent offenders. So far this year, the Task Force has already arrested 6 fugitives and cleared 16 felony warrants. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.