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A body cam video captured Tennessee police officers interrupting a robbery at a mall and busting a prevalent multi-state crime spree last month.
On Saturday, December 3, 2022, undercover Franklin police officers in Tennessee followed a van to the CoolSprings Galleria. They did so after being alerted about a person wearing a hoodie, surgical mask, hat, and sunglasses by an employee at a Jared jewelry store located inside the Thoroughbred Village Shop Center in Franklin.
The employee found the person odd as he was wearing sunglasses at nighttime.
The van that contained five suspects, including the getaway driver, stopped at a JCPenney at CoolSprings Galleria. Four masked individuals hopped out and ran into the store, where they began smashing glasses to steal the diamond jewelry. Shortly after, the video showed officers chasing the suspects inside the store.
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In the video, one officer was seen running through the store and chasing one of the masked suspects. Another officer tackles the other suspect, leading to a physical altercation as he tries to flee the scene.
Tennessee burglary busted by officers in operation 'Not In Our Mall'
According to reports, shortly after police officers in Tennessee received an alert about the suspect, undercover officers in the area, who were assigned to an operation, 'Not In Our Mall', followed the suspect who got into the van.
They later tracked the van to the JCPenney parking lot at CoolSprings Galleria, where four masked individuals, with the exception of the driver, hopped out and ran into the store. The driver was reportedly arrested at the scene.
The statement read:
"The getaway driver was quickly arrested as he waited outside for the other suspects, who immediately started using sledgehammers to smash glass cases and steal diamond jewelry."
According to reports, police said they were able to apprehend a suspect who got into an altercation with the officer but the other three managed to flee the scene, evading arrest. However, they also mentioned that they arrested two suspects in a nearby parking lot and added that one suspect fled the scene.
As per the press release, all four suspects were charged with Aggravated Robbery, Felony Vandalism, and Evading Arrest. Officials added that the suspect who got into an altercation with the officer at the scene, Dunterious Traylor, was facing an additional charge of Assault on a First Responder.
Police said that investigators are working with other law enforcement agencies to determine if the suspects arrested in Franklin are responsible for other incidents that have plagued cities across Tennessee and Arkansas over the past several weeks. Officials said:
“There have been at least five similar incidents across Tennessee and Arkansas, over the past several weeks with a combined loss of more than $1.5 million.”
Officials said since its inception, operation 'Not In Our Mall' has made more than 34 arrests and recovered $7000 worth of stolen goods.
