Union County Armed Robbery Suspects In Custody After Crashing Vehicle While Attempting To Evade Authorities
UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Four teens are in custody after they robbed an Indian Trail Verizon Wireless store at gunpoint and crashed a vehicle as they attempted to evade authorities.
On July 4th at about 11:25 a.m., Union County Sheriff’s deputies responded to an armed robbery at 14045 East Independence Boulevard in Indian Trail.
Three employees and two customers told deputies that two armed, masked suspects entered the store and forced one of the employees to fill a bag with mobile devices before fleeing the scene in a red Lexus IS250, headed west on U.S. 74.
Deputies were able to share detailed descriptions of the suspects and suspect vehicle with surrounding law enforcement agencies. It was determined that the suspects had abandoned the Lexus IS250 in a driveway on Stallings Road in Union County and fled toward Charlotte in a Kia Sorento.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department used a helicopter and patrol units to locate the vehicle and initiate a traffic stop but the suspects fled at a high rate of speed.
The suspect vehicle eventually ran off the road and rolled over several times on Pleasant Grove Road near Brookshire Boulevard.
Two of the suspects were arrested at the scene of the accident. The two other suspects ran from the scene but were apprehended after a short pursuit.
Investigators have determined that the red Lexus IS250 was stolen from Mecklenburg County. Detectives recovered the stolen mobile devices as well as the two handguns believed to be used in the robbery, which had also been reported stolen.
All four suspects were arrested and charged with Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, five counts of Second Degree Kidnapping, and Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
Sean Christopher Rutherford, 19, and Olquandri Shemik McNeal, 19, both of Charlotte are being held in the Union County Jail.
The identities of the 14-year-old and 15-year-old suspects have not been released.
The case is still under investigation and additional charges are pending.
