Gwinnett County police are looking for two men who sprayed two cellphone store employees with mace, bound them with duct tape, and robbed the store of 65 smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
Shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, two men wearing black baseball caps and black face paint entered the Verizon Wireless store in the 3400 block of Centerville Highway, Gwinnett police Cpl. Deon Washington said.
One of the men “walked up to the two employees in the store and said, ‘I don’t want to hurt you, I just want the phones,’” Washington said.
As that man began removing phones from a safe in the store, the second man sprayed both employees in the face with mace, police said.
“According to the employees,” Washington said, “the first [man] got very upset and asked the other [man], ‘Why did you spray them?’”
He apologized on behalf of the second man, told the employees to make sure to wash their eyes, bound them with duct tape and ran from the store with the phones and tablets, Washington said.
The entire incident was captured on cameras inside the store.
Police said the first man stood 6-feet-tall and was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt and gray jeans. The second man was 5-foot-7 and wearing black jeans and a black zip-up hoodie. Both men are in their early 20s and skinny, police said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Gwinnett police robbery unit at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can also remain anonymous — and be eligible for rewards up to $2,000 — by contacting Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS or crimestoppersatlanta.org.
About the Author
