Wichita police nab three teens on apparent dollar store armed robbery spree
Wichita officers nabbed three teens on an apparent dollar store robbery spree Tuesday evening on the north and west sides of town. No one was hurt in the armed hold ups, but the Dollar General Stores in the 2900 block of North Broadway and in the 2900 block of West 13th Street North lost cash, said Officer Charley Davidson, a Wichita Police Department spokesman.
Davidson said police called to the 29th and Broadway store at about 7:50 p.m. were told by two employees, 19 and 26, that three masked robbers walked into the store with a gun. One of the robbers pointed the gun at them, Davidson said the employees reported, then stole cash and took off.
A witness gave police a description of the car the trio fled in and its tag number. Using that information, officers tracked the car to the 1400 block of North Mt. Carmel. When police approached the car’s driver — 19-year-old Emilio Arango Jr. — he ran away, Davidson said. Officers arrested him after a brief foot chase.
At about the same time officers found the car and arrested Arango, another nearby Dollar General store staffed by 36-year-old and 60-year-old employees reported a robbery there. Those employees told police that one robber walked into the business and stole cash from the store at gunpoint while a second robber stood watch outside, Davidson said. They ran away afterward.
Officers surrounded the area and used a police dog to find the pair. Police arrested a 16-year-old boy and 18-year-old Mack Maddox after a short pursuit, Davidson said. Police did not disclose the 16-year-old’s name Wednesday morning.
Arango and Maddox each was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of two counts of aggravated robbery, an online jail inmate log shows. The 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of criminal possession of a firearm by a juvenile, Davidson said.
Davidson said police found cash and a gun during their investigation. Authorities plan to present the robbery cases to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
“A lot of great work by our investigators and officers on these cases, working hard day and night each and every day to help keep this community safe,” Davidson said during a news briefing Wednesday morning.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 11:46 AM.
