Three teens arrested, linked to recent Wichita robberies (+video)

Three teenagers have been arrested and linked to a half-dozen recent robberies, Wichita police said Tuesday.

The trio was apprehended Monday just after they robbed a liquor store at about 11 a.m. in the 5600 block of East Harry, Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile said. A resident called 911 to report a suspicious character when she saw someone with a gun enter the liquor store.

One of the suspects demanded cash from the register while pointing a gun at the clerk as another grabbed bottles of liquor from shelves.

Officers in the area arrived at the business just as two robbers were leaving the store, Ojile said. One was caught almost immediately, and the other was apprehended after a foot chase of about three blocks. The third suspect was found with a car parked behind the liquor store.

Subsequent investigation has linked the three boys — ages 16, 17 and 18 — to at least six robberies over the past two weeks around Wichita, Ojile said.

The same liquor store had been robbed last week, Ojile said. The three have also been connected to the robbery of a liquor store and convenience store next to each other at 1102 and 1110 W. Maple last week, a Family Dollar at 1330 N. Oliver last week and a liquor store at 2545 N. Hillside on Dec. 30.

“It’s very sobering that individuals this young are performing these crimes,” Ojile said.

Ojile called the arrests “a great relief.” Weapons were displayed at all of the robberies.

“We do know at one of the robberies shots were fired as they fled,” Ojile said.

With such aggressive criminals, “you never know if they’re going to escalate” in violence “or what could happen,” he said.

These suspects were not involved in several robberies that occurred Friday around Wichita, he said.

Wichita is dealing with a surge in armed robberies, records show.

There were 116 in 2014, 137 in 2015 and 16 in the first 12 days of this year. If that crime rate persisted throughout the year, it would amount to nearly 400 armed robberies in 2016.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Three teens arrested, linked to recent Wichita robberies (+video)."