Police: Aggravated Robbery In Arlington Could Be Related To DFW Airport Incident
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The Arlington Police Department released video and details Friday about an armed robbery last week they feel is similar to the crime committed on DFW Airport property Thursday where a man was killed after being kidnapped while filling up his rental car at a gas station.
Arlington Police responded to an armed robbery attempt on Thursday, June 2 around 4:30 p.m. in the 2000 block of E. Pioneer Parkway.
The victim was a businessman who had flown in from out of state to sell jewelry to area businesses. He had $50,000 to $60,000 of jewelry in his pockets.
As the man pulled into a gasoline station to fill up his rental car on the way back to the airport, a gold-colored Chevy Impala pulled up near his vehicle and two men wearing masks emerged. The victim ran towards the front of the convenience store in an attempt to get away from the suspects and protect his products that he was carrying.
Police say one suspect started ransacking the man's car while another armed suspect chased after the victim. As the victim got to the front walkway of the store, the masked gunman began to try and pull the victim back towards his vehicle and a physical altercation ensued. The robbers only managed to get away with a briefcase.
During one point of the physical confrontation, the suspect let go and ran back to the suspect vehicle. It is believed there were three male suspects involved.
The Chevy Impala being driven by the suspects then took off eastbound on Pioneer Parkway towards S.H. 360.
Arlington Police are in contact with the FBI and DFW Airport Police to determine if there is possibly a connection with the Arlington case and the incident that occurred in Irving Thursday related to their capital murder case.
Investigators believe this victim was specifically targeted based upon the nature of his business and this was not a random act of violence.
"This happened about a week ago and we were obviously unaware that there might be similar offenses," said Arlington Police Lt. Chris Cook. "So we just began working as an aggravated attempted robbery of this individual. Until the second case came out, it's when we realized that, hey! There could be some potential that these cases could be related.
Here is surveillance footage from a camera from inside the store that shows the armed gunman.
Anyone with information can contact Robbery Detective Jeremy Houchin at 817-459-5301.
Tipsters can also remain anonymous by contacting Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.
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