Apartments evacuated as police hunt robbery suspect

DeKalb County police swarmed over a DeKalb apartment complex Tuesday evening looking for an armed robbery suspect.

The suspect and two other men arrested nearby are believed responsible for a string of armed heists over the past several weeks in which the crew used at least one AK-47 assault rifle.

A witness called police about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after spotting the suspicious-looking trio sitting in a car outside the Kroger on DeKalb Industrial Way, police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said.

The crew fled when they saw police, two fleeing in the car and the other running.

Police followed the pair in the car into a nearby apartment complex, where they were arrested. But the third man ran into the Jackson Square Apartments and eluded police, Parish said.

“Information received on the scene led police to believe he went into an apartment,” Parish said.

Police cleared the apartment complex and S.W.A.T. and police dogs were called in to search the entire complex.

After searching the apartment where the man was believed to have hidden and finding no one, police scaled back their hunt.

The search ended around 9 p.m., Parish said, but police have set up heightened patrols in the area.

Charges are pending for the two men in custody who — along with the third suspect — were wanted for a string of armed robberies of businesses using at least one AK-47 assault rifle.