Two teenagers face charges in one of two recent armed robberies at a Fort Smith apartment complex that ended with residences ransacked and tenants forced into closets, according to police.
Kent Thompson, 18, and Justin Douglas, 19, are each being held on three counts of aggravated robbery in the second incident, which was reported Wednesday.
Police responded about 12:15 p.m. Wednesday to Lakeside Town Homes at 1331 South 46th St., where they spoke with three men at their apartment unit.
The residents said they heard a sound on their back porch before the back door swung open and two black men entered — one armed with an apparent black semi-automatic pistol and the other with a pump shotgun.
According to police, the three victims said they were forced to the floor and later into a closet while the robbers took a gaming system, cellphones and cash.
Police said a maintenance worker reported seeing a gray 1980s model Ford pickup with two black male occupants parked in a parking lot at the apartment complex before Wednesday's robbery.
About 11:43 p.m. April 29, police responded to the first robbery report at the same complex, where they spoke with two men in a different unit. One of the men told authorities that he was met by three robbers, including one armed with a shotgun, when he opened a door to his apartment.
As with the report earlier this week, the three robbers ordered the residents to the floor and later into a closet, according to a news release. Before the three left the apartment, they stole an electronic gaming system, cellphones and a wallet, police said.
Fort Smith police spokesman Sgt. Daniel Grubbs said Thompson, a student at Southside High School, and Douglas are not being held in connection with the April robbery at this point in the investigation.
Still, police said both robberies are related. Additional people who may be tied to the crimes are sought by authorities.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Fort Smith Police Department at (479) 709-5100 or 78-CRIME.
Read Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.