Lesson to would-be bandits: If you’ve gotten together a disguise to stick up a jewelry store, don’t put it on in the parking lot where everyone can see you.
A 20-year-old man who bought his get-up at Party City so that he could allegedly pull off the heist of Empire Jewelers in Douglasville was arrested Wednesday after a witness spotted him putting on fake dreadlocks, gloves, glasses and a hat outside the store, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Denikko Becton, of College Park, also was armed with a pellet gun he had picked up an a local Walmart a few hours before the robbery attempt at the store, on the 6900 block of Douglas Boulevard, police said.
“Everything was purchased in Douglasville,” Police Chief Chris Womack told Channel 2.
The suspect also allegedly had stolen a car tag that day.
Authorities credited an alert employee of a Moe’s Southwest Grill near the jewelry store with seeing a man adjusting his disguise outside and calling police.
Officers intercepted Becton in the store and took him into custody, police said. He was charged with armed robbery, possession of tools for an armed robbery and theft by taking.
“It was definitely bizarre,” said Glenn Easterwood, co-owner of Empire Jewelry. “We are very thankful someone saw what was happening. It could have saved many people’s lives –- there was no telling.”
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