Three individuals were arrested during an attempted armed robbery of the Village Pantry, 5190 N. Franklin Rd., in Lawrence May 8, and police are seeking information regarding a suspect who robbed the same location May 10.
In the May 8 incident, Lawrence Police Dept. officers responded just before midnight to investigate a report of an armed robbery in progress. Officers arrived and encountered two suspects wearing bandanas over their faces, who were taken into custody.
Two loaded handguns were located on the store’s front counter, one of which was reported stolen in November 2015. The Village Pantry clerks on duty were discovered unharmed in a back office. Officers apprehended a third individual in a vehicle parked across Franklin Road, believed to be the vehicle the trio planned to escape in. The vehicle was registered to a family member of one of the suspects apprehended inside the Village Pantry.
Amir Sanders, 23, Edward Chandler Jr., 19, and Marqueta Holloway, 18, all of Indianapolis, face felony charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and criminal confinement. The trio also face charges related to an incident earlier May 8, where shots were fired at a clerk at the BP Connect located at Brookville Road and S. Post Road in Indianapolis.
Police seek public’s help
In a separate incident, the Village Pantry location at 5190 N. Franklin Rd. was robbed just before 3 a.m. May 10.
A black male described between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall, in his early 20s with a medium build wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and white shoes entered the store demanding money.
The suspect had his hood pulled up and was holding the neck area of his sweatshirt over his mouth and nose. A weapon was not displayed, though the clerk feared the suspect had one because he was holding one hand in his pocket. After the clerk gave the suspect money from the register, the suspect fled on foot to the northwest.
Anyone with information about the May 10 robbery or the identity of the suspect is encouraged to contact the Lawrence Police Dept. or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana, where tips can be shared anonymously by calling 317-262-TIPS, visiting CrimeTips.org or on the P3tips mobile app.
