Second suspect in Arlington CashMax armed robbery still on the run

Police are continuing to search for a second suspect involved in a robbery at an Arlington store that led to gunshots being exchanged between another suspect and police.

Investigators described a chaotic scene where employees had been tied up with their hands and feet bound with tape.

Arlington CashMax Robbery

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What we know:

Arlington police received a 9-1-1 call on Friday night around 6:45 p.m. about a possible robbery in progress.

"A passerby was driving by and saw these two individuals with masks on," explained Arlington Police Lt. Courtney White. "He or she believed that they were handling a firearm and were entering a business and could actively see individuals inside. So they decided to call."

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Arlington robbery suspect arrested after shootout with police

Arlington police say employees inside the businesses had their hands and legs taped during the robbery.

Police arrived at the scene and set up a perimeter around the building.

Two officers were in the back of the building when one man walked out and took off running.

Officers say they spotted another man with a gun who started shooting at them. Both officers fired back, but no one was hit.

The suspect ran back inside the building, according to police, and tried to escape this time through the front door, where even more officers were waiting for him.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Kelvin Bivens (Source: Arlington Police)

37-year-old Kelvin Bivens was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault against a public servant and one count of aggravated robbery.

Bivens also had an outstanding warrant for aggravated robbery out of Shreveport, Louisiana. He is currently being held at the Tarrant County jail.

A weapon was recovered.

Police are still working to determine if anything was taken from the business.

Employees bound, but no one injured

"We are incredibly grateful and relieved to report that no officers were injured during this incident," said White.

Arlington police say several employees of the CashMax store had their hands and legs bound by tape, but were not injured.

"While they were shaken up, they were not injured as well," Lt. White said.

A sign on the window of the CashMax on Monday said that the store was temporarily closed.

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Search for second suspect

"Our detectives continue to follow up on leads as they work to identify this individual," Lt. White said.

She said police are not yet ready to release a description of the second suspect. She did not want to release any other details to avoid compromising the investigation.

"We are actively looking for this person in order to arrest them," she said. "If you know any information regarding this incident, please contact the Arlington Police Department immediately because that could help us locate this person."

What they're saying:

Ariana Hernandez, an employee at a Mexican restaurant near the CashMax store, says shortly after the shots were fired on Friday night, she heard knocking at the back door. She believes it was the suspect who ran away.

"For about 2 or 5 seconds. He was really trying to get into the restaurant," said Hernandez. ""I was really scared." 

The 10 to 15 customers inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting hid under tables.

"I was trying to keep everyone like safe. That was my main point, just keep everyone like safe. I wasn’t thinking about me I was thinking about the people, the customers," said Hernandez.

She hopes the second suspect is caught soon, saying the incident has been difficult for her to process.

"I’m still very scared. If anything happens again, I'm really, really scared," said Hernandez.

What's next:

Police are conducting both a criminal investigation and an internal investigation of the officer-involved shooting. 

The two officers who fired their service weapons will be placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation.

Police are not releasing their names but said one officer has been with the department for three years and the other has been with the department for two years.

"We plan to release relevant portions of body-worn camera and dashboard camera footage at a later date once the investigative teams are done reviewing it," Lt. White said.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Arlington Police and a FOX 4 interview with Ariana Hernandez.

ArlingtonCrime and Public Safety