TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa police have arrested two teenagers suspected of attempting to rob a Walmart over the weekend and believe they are involved in other Walmart robberies dating back to this summer.
Investigators say the suspects, ages 16 and 17, are from the Midwest city, and at least two more suspects are believed to be at large.
In July, Lt. Justin Ritter said a suspect matching the description attempted to rob a Walmart near Admiral and Sheridan. At that time they were not spared the incident. The suspects used the same tactics (wearing surgical masks, hooded sweatshirts, and a note suggesting a weapon) to rob a Ponca City Walmart that same month.
On Friday, Bristow police posted a photo on Facebook after a similar robbery occurred in the city.
Sunday after an attempted robbery at 109th.th Police said the suspects immediately went to a Walmart in Glenpool. Interestingly, the management team happened to be attending a meeting to discuss the ongoing situation of armed robberies throughout the region. With this topic in mind, gardaà alerted the suspect while investigating the scene and alerted Glenpool Police Station.
“When they were arrested in Glenpool, he had a gun and a note that matched the one that continued to be turned over, so that’s a possible reason to arrest them at that point,” Ritter said. he said.
Authorities are cooperating on further charges.
Overall, Tulsa has seen a significant decrease in armed robberies. This unit operated 1,248 units in 2019. In 2020, there were 748 people. In 2021, there were 571 people, and last year there were 480 people.
Lt. Ritter credits the Criminal Firearms Unit, which was created in 2018. Its sole purpose is to arrest people with illegal firearms.
He also credits his unit for working together to identify serial offenders.
“Our office is open and we have an open format. If someone is discussing a case, you can’t hear them, so everyone knows what’s going on,” Ritter said. Ta.
2News asked Lt. Ritter if he thought more businesses installing cameras in Tulsa would deter armed robberies. He said he wasn’t sure if there was any research linking the two, but said the cameras were a big help in solving the case.
Ritter said he knows the names of other people they are looking for and is confident they will make more arrests soon.
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