Authorities have arrested a man and woman in connection with a failed robbery at a Victorville cell phone store in which several people were pepper sprayed earlier in this week.
Brandon Craig Brown, 42, of Los Angeles and Latoya Shanell Smith, 43, of Victorville were taken into custody about 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at a shopping center at Bear Valley and Hesperia roads in Victorville, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials and jail records.
Brown was booked on suspicion of attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, while Smith was accused of being an accessory to the crime after it occurred.
The robbery took place about 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at a T-Mobile store at 14712 La Paz Drive.
A man armed with both a handgun and pepper spray entered the business ” and demanded employees and customers surrender their wallets and cellular phones,” sheriff’s department spokeswoman Gloria Orejel said at the time.
“During the robbery, the suspect also deployed pepper spray at victims inside the business before fleeing on foot to a waiting getaway vehicle,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
Detectives identified a vehicle believed to have been used in the crime, which ultimately led them to identify the suspect, authorities said.
They were tracked down and arrested with help from an automated license plate reader system, officials added.
“The arrests were the result of a coordinated investigative effort utilizing surveillance footage, ALPR technology, and additional investigative resources,” according to the law enforcement statement. “The Victorville Police Department remains committed to identifying and apprehending individuals responsible for violent crimes in the community and utilizing available technology to assist investigators in bringing those responsible to justice.”
Bail for Brown was set at $50,000, while Smith was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Man and woman arrested in Victorville cell phone store robbery
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
