Masked man robs LR Arvest branch
Police are investigating the armed robbery of a Little Rock bank early Wednesday evening.
A man wearing a black mask entered an Arvest Bank branch on Chenal Parkway about 5:50 p.m., placed a bag on the counter and demanded cash, according to police. He was armed with a semi-automatic pistol. The man fled with an undisclosed amount of money.
No injuries were reported.
Police did not provide the address of the bank, but according to Arvest Bank's website, its only branch on the street is at 16107 Chenal Parkway.
Surveillance cameras recorded the man exiting the back seat of silver-colored, four-door Nissan before he entered the bank.
The robber is described as black, bald, standing 6 feet tall and weighing between 200 and 220 pounds. He wore a gray sweater, bluejeans and gloves. His age was unclear.
Dead man targeted by thief, police say
A Little Rock man was arrested at the end of an early Wednesday morning foot chase after he was spotted breaking into a storage unit and stealing from a dead man, police said.
Little Rock patrol officers went to 3301 Maryland Ave. at 3:57 a.m. for a "suspicious person" and found a man going in and out of a carport storage unit at the address.
According to police reports, the man took off running, but officers used a police dog to track him down to a yard at 910 S. Allis St., where he was detained.
Investigators found several power tools, a portable CD player, two-way radios and a pair of leaf blowers stashed in some tall grass near the unit.
Arrest reports stated the items belonged to the homeowner's recently deceased husband and that the man knew the husband had recently died.
Larry Jones, 45, of 1918 Brookford Drive was charged with felony breaking or entering, felony theft of property and fleeing.
He remained in the Pulaski County jail early Wednesday night.
Shots in eatery lot hit bystander, 35
A man was shot in the parking lot of a Little Rock restaurant Tuesday afternoon, police reported.
Officers responded about 3 p.m. to 3323 Fair Park Blvd., where Deshaun Hollis had been shot in the left forearm and left calf. Hollis, 35, told police that he and a friend had been watching two men fight in the parking lot, according to a police incident report. One of the men pulled a gun and fired several shots, striking Hollis twice.
Hollis' friend drove him to UAMS Medical Center for treatment. Hollis told investigators that he didn't know who shot him and that "it probably wasn't on purpose," according to the report.
Officers reported that Hollis initially gave them a fake name, but gave his real name to the hospital. Upon discovering the discrepancy, officers ran his name through the state criminal database and discovered that arrest warrants had been issued for him.
Hollis faces traffic and drug charges after he is released from the hospital, according to police.
No description of the suspected gunman was available.
Siblings said to use table, iron in fight
Little Rock police responded early Wednesday morning to a fight involving three siblings who had used a coffee table, a clothes iron and a piece of a wheelchair as weapons, according to an incident report.
Officers arrived at 11401 Mesa Drive shortly after 1 a.m. Markesha Williams, 26, told police she had been visiting with family members after the hospitalization of her mother, according to the report. She and her brother, 28-year-old Robert McKenzie, started arguing and she told police he attacked her with a coffee table.
Their younger brother, 22-year-old Christian Mc--Kenzie, intervened, and Robert McKenzie struck him in the face with a clothes iron multiple times, the report says.
As the eldest McKenzie continued the attack, Williams grabbed a piece of a wheelchair and struck him in self-defense, the report says.
Officers reported that when Robert McKenzie was detained, he was too intoxicated to provide a statement to police. He received treatment for minor injuries at UAMS Medical Center and was charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member.
He was being held in lieu of bond at the Pulaski County jail late Wednesday.
2 drivers charged with DWI in crash
North Little Rock police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday and charged both motorists with driving while intoxicated.
Vernon Tharpe, who was driving an unidentified vehicle, struck and injured a man riding a motor scooter at West 35th Street and North Gum Street shortly after 7 p.m., police said. Tharpe, 37, smelled of alcohol and told officers that he drank a 32-ounce beer before the crash, according to an arrest report.
"I had trouble understanding Mr. Tharpe throughout the conversation," an officer wrote in the report, also noting that Tharpe was unsteady on his feet and had bloodshot eyes.
Tharpe's blood alcohol tested at 0.078, below the legal limit of 0.08, the report says. He was released into the custody of a relative and charged with driving while intoxicated and unsafe driving.
The driver of the motor scooter, 56-year-old Ronald Shirley, was taken to UAMS Medical Center for treatment. His condition was unknown late Wednesday.
Shirley also smelled of intoxicants and had slurred speech after the crash, officers reported. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol content test.
Metro on 06/26/2014