Man Arrested For Starbucks Robberies Near SMU
UNIVERSITY PARK (CBSDFW.COM) - Police arrested Jared Smith of Azle on August 24 for the robbery of a Whataburger there.
During the investigation it was determined he was responsible for the Starbucks robberies in July and August in University Park. He's in the Dallas County Jail on a $100,000 bond for the Starbucks robberies.
Twice in three weeks during July and August, a man has walked into Starbucks on Hillcrest Avenue (just steps from SMU) with a handgun and robbed it.
"I was shocked, and then I was double-shocked when it happened twice," says Heide Levy, co-owner of Highland Park Watch and Jewelry Exchange. "It scared me. It really scared me, because I thought, we are not secure from anything."
The first robbery happened July 27 around 6 a.m. Two men demanded money from the cash register and took off on Hillcrest. Then, the same thing happened again in August. Both times the robber covered his face. Police believed it was the same person.
"You are vulnerable everywhere you are. It doesn't matter. Good part, bad part. Everywhere," says Levy.
"I hope that everybody coming in from SMU will be sure to pay attention and not get lulled to sleep," says resident Kelli Macatee.
An SMU spokesperson issued the following statement at the time to CBS11: "Our first concern at SMU is always for our students. SMU hosts two Starbucks cafes directly on university property. The hillcrest location is not on or adjacent to the campus and falls under the jurisdiction of the University Park police department. UP police are responding to these incidents in a manner that supports public safety."
Starbucks issued a statement as well, which read: "Local authorities are helping make sure we can continue to provide our partners (employees) and customers with a safe store environment. We will continue to support them in any way we can during their investigation."