GRAPEVINE, Texas – Grapevine Police are investigating whether their arrests of armed robbery suspects overnight could help solve multiple crimes across north Texas.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., dispatchers alerted officers to an armed robbery in a neighboring city. Due to a series of recent robberies across the DFW area, two Grapevine officers decided to set up surveillance near the 7-Eleven located at 1700 William D. Tate as a precaution. Shortly after 3:00 a.m. officers spotted three people walking into the store wearing hoodies covering their faces, and then they saw the clerk put his hands up. Officers approached the entrance, and moments later, the three suspects ran out of the store.
While the initial officers made sure the clerk was okay and searched for one suspect who ran off on his own, more Grapevine officers went after the other two suspects who jumped into a car and drove off. A pursuit went into Irving, where three people jumped out of the car in a residential area on Bellah Court.
The weapon and cash found in a suspect’s backpack (Photo: Grapevine Police)
One of the suspects in Irving was seen throwing a backpack over a fence right before the officer caught up to him. The backpack contained a loaded gun and cash. Meanwhile, Irving Police set up a perimeter in the area for the other two people. They found them in a nearby backyard, and a K-9 Officer from Southlake DPS tracked their scent from the car involved in the chase. The car had been reported stolen from Dallas.
While the search was underway in Irving, Grapevine officers utilized a Bedford Police robot to go through the 7-Eleven, because the clerk feared another robber was still inside the store. The robot and a Grapevine K-9 unit confirmed everyone was out of the building. At the same time, officers spotted a man walking across the street with a hoodie around his waist. They determined he was one of the suspects who ran away and took him into custody.
Three male suspects, ages 17, 18 and 19, where taken to the Grapevine jail for questioning. All three men face charges for Aggravated Robbery, and additional charges may follow. A 15-year-old girl was taken into custody and later released to parents.
Grapevine Police are working closely with multiple law enforcement agencies across north Texas to determine if the suspects could be connected to other robberies. Grapevine Police appreciate all of the help and teamwork that occurred to make these arrests possible.
(Names and mug shots will not be released until detectives complete their initial interviews and suspects have been fully booked into jail.)
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