Gwinnett robbery suspect arrested after clerk puts GPS in his bag

A suspect in a string of robberies targeting iPhone retailers was arrested Thursday after an employee at an AT&T store slipped a GPS tracker into the suspect’s backpack during a robbery.

The Duluth Police Department and the FBI's Atlanta office had been searching for Samuel Lawrence after two cellphone stores were robbed at gunpoint earlier this month. In robberies at an AT&T store and a T-Mobile store, Lawrence pointed a gun at employees and demanded they put only iPhones and iPads in his backpack, police said.

Photos previously released by the FBI and Duluth Police Department before Lawrence’s capture.

A similar robbery occurred Wednesday at a Lilburn AT&T store. Police said Lawrence forced an employee at the store at gunpoint to open a safe and hand over eight iPhones and nine iPads. A GPS tracker on one of the phones was activated when the employee put it in Lawrence’s bag, police said.

Police said they used that GPS tracker to find Lawrence. They tried to apprehend him in Lilburn, but Lawrence led officers on a chase through Gwinnett County and into DeKalb County. When he crossed county lines, Lilburn police allowed Georgia State Patrol officers to continue the chase and take him into custody.

Lawrence later confessed to stealing the iPhones and iPads at the Duluth and Lilburn stores, police said.

He is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Lawrence has been charged with three counts of armed robbery; two counts each of use of license plate to conceal identity, unsafe lane change, fleeing or eluding a police officer and reckless driving; and one count each of fleeing or attempting to elude, possession of a weapon during a crime, failure to obey signs or control devices, speeding and hit and run.