Police identify adult suspect in jewelry store robbery

Published 4:12 pm Sunday, February 12, 2023

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UPDATE: The adult suspect in this case has been identified as Reginald Allen. He was charged with theft by shoplifting.


ORIGINAL STORY: The LaGrange Police Department has apprehended a juvenile and an adult suspect believed to have stolen jewelry from the Treasure Box jewelry store inside the LaGrange Mall.

The incident was originally reported by police as a snatch-and-grab robbery but it is currently being investigated as a felony theft.

“They stole some jewelry and we believe they were working together,” said LPD Lt. Robert Kirby.

Kirby said that two male suspects that were involved in the incident fled from the scene after the jewelry was taken. One of the subjects allegedly distracted jewelry store employees while the other grabbed an undisclosed amount of jewelry on the counter and ran.

The first adult suspect was quickly apprehended by LaGrange Police after a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle he was driving in the mall parking lot near the Chipotle restaurant.

The other suspect, a juvenile, fled into the woods behind the mall. He was later located after a significant amount of time, said Kirby.

Kirby said that no weapons were involved and no one was hurt during the incident.

“It looks like the clerks weren’t paying attention for a moment and there was some jewelry laying out on the counter and the guy just grabbed it and left with it,“ Kirby said.

The second suspect is believed to have been distracting the clerk so the other could get away with the jewelry.

Police have not publicly identified either suspect.