Police beat

Vacuum thief pulls handgun, runs away

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

A man pulled a gun at a Target in west Little Rock after trying Monday to steal an expensive vacuum cleaner, authorities said.

It happened shortly after 2 p.m. at the store at 12700 Chenal Parkway, according to a Little Rock Police Department report.

Two employees at the store told police investigators they approached the man when he tried to leave without paying for a $600 Dyson vacuum.

The workers tried to take the man into custody inside the store, at which point he pulled out a handgun, the report said. The employees put their hands up and backed off and the man fled without taking the vacuum, according to the police account.

The would-be vacuum thief is described as white and having brown hair. He was in his 20s, and about 5 feet 7 inches tall and around 155 pounds. He was wearing a black shirt and khaki shorts and left the store in a dark gray, "newer model" Jeep Cherokee with dark-tinted windows and aluminum stock wheels, the report said.

The report noted the man earlier bought a pocketknife at the store and paid in cash at a self-checkout. Authorities were looking into whether fingerprints could be found at the station, the report noted.

No injuries were reported.

Teen faces charges in woman's robbery

A teenager was arrested Monday on accusations of stealing a woman's wallet in a Little Rock parking lot and trying to charge $1,000 to a credit card, police said.

Officers arrived at the parking lot of the Dollar Tree at 11400 W. Markham St. around 4:40 p.m. and met a 69-year-old woman who said she had just been robbed, according to a police report.

The woman told police she was approached by a woman, who asked for directions to the nearest clothing store. As the 69-year-old turned to give directions, the other woman reportedly grabbed her wallet and tried to yank it away.

The robber then pulled out a Taser, pushed the woman to the ground, took the wallet and fled in a white Chevrolet Impala, the victim told police.

Later that day, the victim alerted an officer that someone had tried to charge $1,000 to one of the stolen credit cards at a shoe store that was likely at Park Plaza, the report said.

The officer put out a broadcast for the suspect's vehicle, and police pulled over a 2007 white Chevrolet Impala on University Avenue, the report said. Tatyana Hicks, 18, and another teenager inside the car were taken in for questioning, the report said.

Hicks of North Little Rock was booked into Pulaski County jail on charges of aggravated robbery, theft of property and failure to appear.

The other teenager interviewed by police was not listed as an inmate at the jail, online records show.

Man reports attack in old LR Sears lot

A 23-year-old man was jumped and robbed Monday night while walking through the parking lot of the former Sears store in midtown Little Rock, authorities said.

The victim told investigators he was walking around 10 p.m. in the lot at 600 S. University Ave. when three men ran up behind him, punched him in the back of the head and then hit and kicked him while he was on the ground, according to a Little Rock Police Department report.

The trio made off with the victim's credit card and identification card, the report said.

The victim, who lives in Little Rock, did not suffer any "visible injuries" and was unable to provide detailed descriptions of his attackers, police wrote.

No arrests had been made at the time of the report.

Metro on 05/17/2017

Upcoming Events