Trackdown: Help find Rowlett’s ‘courteous robber’
Trackdown: Help find Rowlett’s ‘courteous robber’
Rowlett police are looking for a man they’ve nicknamed the "courteous robber." He’s been targeting vape stores in the city.
ROWLETT, Texas - Rowlett police are looking for a man they’ve nicknamed the "courteous robber." He’s been targeting vape stores in the city.
UPDATE: Rowlett police said tips from FOX 4 viewers helped lead to the arrest of a suspect nicknamed the "courteous robber."
Trackdown: Viewers help Rowlett police arrest the ‘courteous robber’
Rowlett police said tips from FOX 4 viewers helped lead to the arrest of a suspect nicknamed the "courteous robber." He was wanted for at least two recent armed robberies at vape stores.
The Courteous Robber
What we know:
Detectives said the suspect in this case has targeted at least two vape stores within a span of a few days.
On April 30, he robbed Top Cloud Vape. He was wearing a black hoodie at the time with black ski goggles, black pants, and brown boots.
"When he gets inside, he displays a semi-automatic handgun. He’s carrying a black duffle bag. He sits the bag on the counter. He makes contact with the clerk and he requests items from behind the counter," said Det. Eric Shing from the Rowlett Police Department. "He appears to be very selective in the items. He’s putting some down. He’s taking some. Once he gets them in the bag, he closes the bag and we notice on video on top of the bag it has the name of A. Nelson."
Right before he leaves, the suspect apologizes to the clerk, telling him he’s fallen on hard times.
Video shows the same man breaking a window with a hammer and entering the nearby World of Smoke and Vape store on May 6.
The video shows part of the suspect’s face and what looks like a Mohawk-style long hair cut with long black hair that is clean-shaven on the sides.
He’s wearing the same black goggles and puts the stolen goods in the same bag that’s stamped with the name A. Nelson.
What they're saying:
"What bothers me is that they are less than a week apart. He's used a handgun. So we know that he's able to resort to violence and he's going to hit again if he truly is on hard times and desperate. We believe he's going to hit again. We don't want anybody to get hurt. We want him to get identified. And since he's left on foot in both cases, we do believe he does live in the local area," said Det. Shing.
The detective believes the video shows enough of the man’s face and his mannerisms that those who know him will recognize him.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about the suspect should contact Det. Shing at 469-853-3328 or eshing@rowlett.com.
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FOX 4’s Trackdown
Dig deeper:
You can watch Shaun Rabb’s Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online and on FOX Local.
FOX 4 viewers have helped police make 198 arrests.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Rowlett Police Department and FOX 4 reporter Shaun Rabb's interview with Det. Eric Shing.