Gulfport Man Sentenced for Robberies and Assault that Landed Good Samaritan in Hospital

Marces Rush has been sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison for two robberies and an aggravated assault that landed a local Good Samaritan in the hospital with multiple wounds to the stomach back in December of 2016.

According to District Attorney Joel Smith, the 24-year-old Gulfport man pled guilty in Circuit Court this week to the charges and was sentenced by Judge Lisa Dodson to a total of 50 years for the crimes, with 27 years of the sentence suspended, leaving 23 years for Marces Rush to serve in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

The cases began back on the night of December 14, 2016 after a robbery at the Texaco gas station on East Pass Road in Gulfport where a store clerk was assaulted and robbed by two men, including Rush. The store clerk was struck in the head several times with a laptop computer from his own bag by one of the perpetrators. The two men were able to get away with the clerk’s bag which also contained other electronics in that armed robbery.

About 12 hours later, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department was called to the Dollar General Store on Canal Rd. regarding another armed robbery. Upon their arrival, the officers located a victim lying in the roadway, bleeding profusely and suffering from stab wounds to his stomach. Detectives determined Rush had entered the Dollar General wearing a mask, jumped over the counter and held a clerk at knifepoint, demanding money. The clerk then called a manager over, who opened the register. The defendant grabbed the register till and fled the store.

Upon exiting the store, Rush was confronted by a Good Samaritan who was trying to thwart the robbery. The Good Samaritan struck the defendant with a baseball bat trying to stop him. However, the defendant then turned and stabbed the good Samaritan with the knife multiple times in the stomach. The defendant then fled the scene but was followed by other citizens who had observed the stabbing and called law enforcement. Eventually, law officers were able to stop and arrest the defendant.

The Good Samaritan was taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent immediate surgery and eventually recovered.

News 25 covered the Dollar Store robbery on scene shortly after the crime happened and talked with local residents about what happened back in December of 2016 as seen below.