A tip to the River Valley Crime Stoppers hotline helped lead Fort Smith police to a suspect in two aggravated robberies.
Zakery Bryant, 18, of Van Buren, was arrested on two counts of aggravated robbery Tuesday (March 12), according to Sgt. Daniel Grubbs. He was booked into the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center.
Shortly after photos of the suspect aired on 5NEWS at noon and were posted on 5NEWSonline.com, tips began pouring in, Grubbs said.
“Most cities go to a ‘crime stoppers’ type tip line and it proves valuable every time we use it,” he said.
Bryant was not someone that Fort Smith detectives were familiar with, according to Grubbs. Detectives worked with Van Buren Police to arrest Bryant near his home in the 800 block of North 25th.
The first robbery was reported at EZ Mart on Grand Avenue Monday night, according to a police report.
The clerk told police a man came into the store and walked down various aisles selecting items, according to a police report. Once no other customers were in the store, he placed the items on the counter and demanded money from the register.
The suspect pointed at the clerk with his right hand through his pocket to indicate he had a gun, the police report states. The clerk also said the man was wearing surgical gloves.
The next day around 1:30 a.m., another aggravated robbery was reported at the Flash Market on Old Greenwood Road. There are similarities in both robberies, according to police.
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