Two armed robberies in three days. But Bartlett law enforcement foiled at least one of them.
An armed robber tried his skills at Bartlett Prescription Shop Monday morning, but the only people leaving the premises and keeping their prize were the police, who soon nabbed the suspect.
The call came at 9:16 a.m. of an armed robbery in progress, but when officers arrived at the business (5675 Stage Road in Bartlett), the suspect had already left.
Employees had been told to go to the rear of the store after the suspect demanded all their Percocet (an opiod pain reliever). There were no injuries among the store personnel.
The suspect, a black male, tried to steal an employee’s vehicle to flee but he couldn’t drive it. So he fled on foot through the woods at Shelby and Stage Road.
A citizen on Marbry Street called the Bartlett Police Department, saying he found some items that might be involved in the heist. He also reported seeing a black man walking from behind his fence and dropping the bag in his back yard.
Officers located a man fitting the suspect’s description at Marbry and McCully Street. The homeowner identified him as the person who dropped the bag, which contained a revolver, mask, gloves and the Percocet pills.
The police arrested the suspect, Patrick Owens. He is a convicted felon and has an extensive history and many warrants out of Shelby County.
No further information is currently available on this case. A photo and affidavit will be released at a later time.
Another armed robbery the previous day
Three suspects armed with a knife and handgun robbed a man at gunpoint in the Kroger parking lot (5995 Stage Road) just before 8 p.m. June 12. The man said he was meeting three males to sell an iPhone 6.
His girlfriend drove him to the parking lot, and he got in the suspects’ vehicle, a silver Chevrolet Equinox.
One male put a knife to his throat, another put a semi-automatic handgun to his heat, and the third took everything out of his pockets, including the iPhone ($500). They left northbound on Bartlett Boulevard.
The victim, however, did get the suspect car’s license plate number, and the responding officer found that it was registered to a silver Chevrolet Equinox.
The victim described the three black male suspects as being between 18-20 years old, and one had several tattoos.
Past year of armed robberies, attempts in Bartlett
Bartlett has seen multiple armed robberies (or attempted robberies) of individuals or businesses within the past year. Following is a list of notable cases. This includes one case in which the would-be robber’s stance only hinted at the possession of a weapon; all others included weapons that were brandished.
Yates Street — May 2, 2016
A couple of Ohio residents traveled to Bartlett on May 2, 2016, to buy a vehicle advertised on Craigslist.com, and they were almost robbed at gunpoint.
They were told the seller’s granddaughter or niece would be at the Yates Street address to let them in. They waited in the driveway briefly and then drove to the intersection of Yates and Wood-lawn, where they called the seller.
The seller gave them different instructions, but nothing was adding up. The driver then saw an orange vehicle, possibly a Dodge Charger, pull up several feet behind them and park on the street. Two black males exited from the rear seat, broke into a run and approached the victims’ car from behind, splitting to cover both sides of the vehicle. The suspects had handguns and banged them on the car window, trying to smash the glass. The victims sped off and called 911.
The suspects were between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall, and both were of medium build. One wore a red hoodie and black pants, and the other wore a black hoodie and black pants.
Boyd Lane — April 23, 2016
A man said an armed robber confronted him at the side door of his condo the evening of April 23, 2016.The victim said the suspect was an unknown black male with a black semi-automatic handgun.
The suspect demanded the man’s Regions Bank bag containing a cash deposit, as well as the victim’s cell phone and keys. Then he ran southbound between the condos and then westbound through the parking lot.
The suspect is a black male, 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 180-200 lbs. and about 28-32 years old. He wore a black baseball hat with no logos, a long-sleeved black shirt, dark jeans, shoes of an unknown color.
Stage Road— Nov. 18, 2015
Officers responded at 1:03 a.m. Nov. 18, 2015, after three black males targeted the CVS pharmacy at 6670 Stage Road for robbery of prescription drugs.
The pharmacist on duty was behind the counter when the men entered the front door and came straight to the pharmacy. One jumped the counter and pointed what appeared to be a black semi automatic handgun. He asked where the Percocet was. The pharmacist opened the narcotics safe, and the suspect took an unknown number of filled prescription bottles. He then asked for and took all the Suboxone and took an unknown amount.
The two suspects that entered behind the pharmacy counter were dressed in black pants and black long-sleeved shirts, and they wore white pillowcases over their heads and latex gloves on their hands.
The suspects left in what appeared to be a black newer model Toyota Camry.
The responding officer for the Bartlett robbery contacted the Memphis Police Department’s Ridgeway precinct at 5:50 p.m. about a comparable robbery at the CVS at 6620 Winchester Road, Memphis. That robbery also had three suspects, similarly dressed, demanding Percocet.
U.S. 64 — July 29, 2015
A victim reported on July 29, 2015, that a menacing man tried to rob her in the parking lot of Walmart (8400 U.S. 64) around 7 p.m. that night.
She was parked in the first handicapped parking spot when she heard someone speaking to her. She didn’t respond. As she put her purse in the backseat and held her keys in her hand, the person then said, “I should have said ‘madam’ so you wouldn’t feel old.”
She turned around, and the man was right behind her.
He said, “I’m gonna let you put your things in your trunk and I want you to think about what I’m gonna tell you.”
He kept repeating that and slapping his hands on her car roof, she said.
He also repeatedly said, “I want everything,” and he reached behind his back in a manner that led her to believe he was armed.
An unknown citizen interrupted, and the suspect fled. Nothing was stolen during the encounter.
The suspect was a dark-skinned black male, about 5-foot-3-inches tall, with facial hair and a receding hairline. His hair was cut very low. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with green numbers and a pair of shorts in faded Army green.
Lauren Drive — July 25, 2015
A Lauren Drive resident was robbed at gunpoint while walking home from the Countryside Gas Station on U.S. 64 on July 25, 2015. The victim said he turned onto Lauren Drive and was approaching the intersection with Gail Drive when a black man in a black Ford F-150 pickup drove up, stopped and asked for directions.
Then the driver pulled out a black handgun, pointed it at the victim and demanded everything he had on him, $280 in cash.
