Monday, July 12, 2010 3:14 pm
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MURFREESBORO — Two hapless armed robbers, one of whom left a T-shirt bearing his photo and name at the scene of the crime, and their female accomplice were captured early Sunday morning just minutes after firing multiple rounds during a robbery at a Rutherford County bar.
Victims say two black males and a white female were hanging around The Spot, 4425 Woodbury Pike, from about 1 a.m. Sunday until it closed two hours later.
During that time, the men came in to buy drinks and one of them removed a T-shirt bearing his photo and family name in order to exhibit gang-type tattoos to other patrons. He left his T-shirt laying in the bar.
When the bar closed the three were waiting in the parking lot and reportedly re-entered the bar armed with a .40-cal. pistol and took both the cash drawer from the register and a bank money bag full of cash.
Despite getting the money, one of the two men said “shoot them” as they were leaving the business. The victims ducked and heard four shots fired inside the bar.
More shots were fired by the suspects into a truck hit driven by a woman who pulled up attempting to get a tag number off the suspects’ four-door brown car. That victim had already called 911 and saw the suspects flee outbound on Woodbury Pike.
A regional BOLO was immediately broadcast by RCSO Communications after receiving.
Within minutes of receiving the information from Cannon County Dispatch, Woodbury Police Officer Brent Brock spotted the suspect vehicle entering his city and called for backup from Cannon County Sheriff’s Office as he followed it through the downtown area.
Brock activated his car’s emergency equipment and stopped the vehicle before it could exit Woodbury on the McMinnville Highway side of town and ordered the female driver out of the car. As he questioned her, she revealed there was a handgun under the driver’s seat.
When Deputy Brandon Gullet arrived the two officers conducted a felony suspect extraction on the two men inside. Cannon County Deputies Brandon Mims and Matt Parsley also assisted.
A .40-caliber Glock pistol was recovered along with cash and other evidence linking them to the bar robbery inside the car. Brock contacted our RCSO Patrol Lt. David Hailey who got Detective Bryant Gregory en route to the scene.
Twenty-two-year-old Kendell M. Swader, 118 Tanya Court, Murfreesboro; his 20-year-old girlfriend Whitney Elliot of the same address; and accomplice Antonyo O. Roper, 18, of Apt. L1 1400 Manor Drive, Murfreesboro, have all made bond.
Swader, the man who left his T-shirt and reportedly fired the shots, is free on $27,000 bond and facing charges of Aggravated Robbery, two counts of Theft $1,000-$10,000, three counts of Reckless Endangerment and Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon.
Elliott, the driver, is free on $15,000 on two Theft $500-$1,000 charges, and one count of Aggravated Robbery.
Roper is free on $24,000 bond for Aggravated Robbery, Theft x2, and Reckless Endangerment x 3.
All three are scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on July 27.