Fast-responding Tennessee police officers were able to stop a robbery in progress at a retail store over the weekend and possibly foil a multi-state crime spree thanks to an alert store clerk.
The incident happened just before 8 p.m. Saturday at a shopping center in Cool Springs, according to the Franklin Police Department. Officers assigned to the department's Operation Not In Our Mall were contacted by an employee at Jared Jewelers who had seen a suspect entered the store in a hoodie, surgical mask, hat, and sunglasses despite it being dark out.
Undercover officers observed and followed the suspect leaving the area in a van with several others inside. Eventually, the van pulled into the fire lane in front of JCPenney at the CoolSprings Galleria, and four masked suspects jumped out and into the store.
Officers quickly followed, arresting the getaway driver as he waited outside. Inside the store, which was still open, the other suspects were using sledgehammers to smash glass cases and steal diamond jewelry. One suspect pepper-sprayed an employee.
Police confronted the suspects, and one suspect struggled with an officer while trying to grab the officer's gun. Three of the suspects fled, and officers flooded the area, as K-9 officers from nearby agencies were called in to help
Two of the suspects were found and arrested in nearby parking lots. A third suspect is still on the loose as detectives try to identify the individual.
Investigators are working with other agencies to determine if the suspects arrested are responsible for other incidents, including a similar robbery at Macy's in CoolSprings Galleria on Nov. 4. Over the past several weeks, there have been at least five similar incidents across Tennessee and Arkansas, resulting in a combined loss of more than $1.5 million.
The suspects face multiple charges, including aggravated robbery, felony vandalism and evading arrest. The suspect who fought with an officer also faces a an assault on a first responder charge.
Since Nov. 1, Franklin PD's Operation Not In Our Mall has netted more than 34 arrests and led to the recovery of over $7,000 in stolen merchandise, not including the most recent case.
