Deputy opens fire on robbery suspects
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The suspects, Marcus Johnson, 21, his cousin, Terrence Antwain Johnson, 17, and Justin McGee, 16, are each charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, the latter two suspects facing their charges in Juvenile Court. Prosecutors are deciding if they will attempt to try them as adults alongside Marcus Johnson in Circuit Court. The juveniles will remain in custody until their hearing Aug. 30.
The three are charged with robbing Delta Express Market on Beersheba Highway just after midnight and then robbing Morrison Shell a few minutes later. The grand total of stolen money from the two heists was less than $300 and could cost them eight to 12 years in prison.
The crime spree began at 12:19 a.m. Monday when a suspect, believed to be the elder Johnson, walked in to Delta Express and ordered the lone male clerk – at gunpoint – to hand over the store’s money.
Johnson, captured on surveillance cameras, then fled the store with around $90 in cash and joined his partners who were waiting in a getaway car at nearby Ramsey Park.
All three suspects were wearing bandanas to conceal their identities. They had purchased their disguises minutes before at a local store. They also used one bandana to cover their license plate number.
As the youths were fleeing the scene of the first robbery, an all-points bulletin was issued. Hearing the bulletin, Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Griffith, a veteran law officer, began heading toward the Shell in Morrison.
“He recalled a while back someone had hit Delta and then went on to hit Morrison Shell, so he thought he would go there just in case,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny. “Sure enough, as he pulled up, the woman inside was motioning. They had just run out of the store.”
The chase was on as McGee led Griffith on a chase down Old Well Road and through several side roads. Griffith fired several shots at the suspects as they tried to run a roadblock. Griffith aimed for the tires but at least one of the rounds went through the windshield.
“It was three on one and he knew they were armed,” Matheny said. “But it seemed like the shots didn’t even phase them.”
The suspects were eventually forced to stop as several other officers became involved in the chase. McGee reportedly stayed in the car and surrendered while the elder Johnson tried to run away but ran straight into a pond in the darkness. The third suspect, Terrence Johnson, was found at his grandfather’s home a short time later. Also found was the money from the heists, the disguises and the gun, which officers discovered the younger Johnson had taken from his grandfather.
“I’m very proud of our officers, the way they handled what was a dangerous situation,” Matheny said. “And Mark Griffith, well, I wouldn’t trade him for a pack of young mules.”