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Saturday, Sep. 27, 2008

Armed robbers keeping Macon law enforcement busy

Armed robbers in Macon have targeted 18 businesses and citizens this month.

Most of the felony crimes involved at least two assailants and happened at businesses that were open earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 8 p.m.

Six individuals were robbed at gunpoint during the same hours - before dawn and after sunset. Another four incidents involved victims of home invasions, two happening in the afternoon when residents likely were believed to be at work.

Macon police Capt. Willie May, of the criminal investigations division, listed armed robbers among the most brazen of criminals.

"When you start pointing a gun in someone's face, you're getting pretty bold," he said.

While, increasingly, city youth are involved in shootings, armed robbers tend to be adults, police said.

"The majority of armed robbers are older. It's kind of like a graduated thing - from petty crimes to violent crimes. Most have records," May said. "They've either been in the system or they have been heavily involved in criminal activity."

The robbers often scope out targets, loitering in the vicinity of a residence or business prior to committing the crime.

Timing is a primary factor, May said, citing the Sept. 3 armed robbery at the Waffle House at 4093 Pio Nono Ave. in south Macon.

Witnesses reported observing the assailants hiding on a portion of the property before the two masked men yielding pistols entered the diner and robbed employees and customers.

"I think they waited until, in their mind, they couldn't any longer," May said, "and then they went in there and robbed everybody."

So far this year, 220 robberies have taken place in Macon, and more than 150 involved weapons, according to police statistics.

By the third week of September 2007, police had investigated 218 robbery incidents.

The crimes are categorized by method and location - business, street, residential, forcible purse snatching, carjacking and other means.

By and large, there has been unremarkable change in the rate of each robbery type since the start of last year.

However, so far in 2008, residential robberies are up by more than 90 percent.

Two men were arrested Friday after allegedly forcing their way into a Sheery Drive apartment in a home invasion robbery, said Macon police.

Just before 3 a.m., a resident of the apartment heard a horn blow and looked outside to see an older model Oldsmobile or Buick, authorities said. Three men were walking away from the car.

Moments later, the resident heard his back door being kicked in and saw a masked man standing in his kitchen.

Gunfire was exchanged between the resident and the intruder. There were no injuries. The resident's girlfriend and a 3-year-old were inside a bedroom.

The men then left the apartment and the resident heard another horn blow and a vehicle drive off, police said.

Further investigation revealed a vehicle matching the description of the one on Sheery Drive was stolen from Budget Auto Sales on Pio Nono Avenue.

A tracking device inside the sedan allowed officers to locate it and engage in a brief pursuit.

Quinton McCoy and James Gates, both 21 and from Macon, are charged with aggravated assault, burglary and theft by receiving an automobile, according to a Bibb County jail log.

Immediately following a robbery, information from victims tends to be accurate, May said. Descriptions of a robber's clothing, height and weight, and getaway vehicle and travel direction are especially useful.

"Most of the time, you can only focus on the weapon that's being pointed in your face," he said. "But afterward, it's vital to document or retain descriptive information."

Such details were used late Wednesday to arrest two Macon men accused of holding up Anytime Bail Bond on Second Street, across from the county jail.

The robbers took cash and keys to an employee's vehicle after holding two women at knifepoint.

Within minutes, police arrested the suspected robbers. They reportedly ran a red light trying to flee the scene.

Authorities often discover many armed robberies are linked. When police make an arrest in one case, a major case print file is established, using fingerprint data to make comparisons to evidence from other investigations.

May said of this month's robberies, police have yet to determine a connection between multiple incidents.

Bibb County Sheriff Jerry Modena said the combination of population growth and the city's efforts to target crime have influenced the rate of armed robberies in the county.

Unlike in Macon, the majority of the incidents in Bibb County were robberies at businesses, Modena said.

"Our population continues to grow out in the county, and that pertains mostly to commercial businesses. It seems like we're just having a combination of more stores and more activity at those stores. As the city clamps down on what's going on in the city, a lot of times they run them (criminals) out to the county," he said. "And when we clamp down, we run them back into the city."

There have been 37 armed robberies this year, five of which are solved - compared to 38 and eight solved by this time last year.

He said Harrison Road and other parts of west Bibb County is an area where deputies are tracking the potential for an increase in the incidents.

Authorities in the city and county cite the lagging economy as a driving factor for armed robberies in the last couple of years.

"Since 2007, the economy has played a serious factor in it," Modena said.

"It's not an excuse," May said, "but you have to focus on the mentality of the armed robber, especially when a juvenile is involved. Are they enduring hard times at home? Are they able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"They may not reveal this motive to us, police, but a lot of times these crimes are committed because kids are thinking of some desperate way to help out mom who has no job and no money," he added.

While some armed robberies are tied to drug activity, police said drug users aren't the usual suspects.

"Most of the time, the hard-core addict will resort to burglary or purse snatching," May said. "They're looking for a small amount of money."

Authorities encourage residents and business owners to install security and surveillance equipment at their homes and businesses.

"If we get quality footage, it helps quite a bit," May said.

Most importantly, victims of armed robberies are urged to cooperate with assailants - not resist.

"Go ahead and give the people what they want. The money is not worth fighting over, it's replaceable," Modena said. "Comply with instructions given. Don't make quick or hostile movements. Alert law enforcement as soon as possible."

Staff writer Amy Leigh Womack contributed information to this report.

To contact writer Ashley Tusan Joyner, call 744-4347.