On April 25, 2014, at around 10:20 pm, Air One, the police helicopter, was providing air support at an unrelated call in the 3600 block of S. Lancaster Road when a “robbery in progress” call at 8181 S. Lancaster Road was broadcast over the police radio.  Air One quickly responded and arrived first to the scene.  The suspects were robbing the store at gunpoint at that location.  A witness followed one of the suspects, saw him throw a gun over a fence along the service road and flee from the scene in a green car. 

Air One observed a small sedan parked on the service road of westbound IH-20 just west of 8181 S. Lancaster Road.  As soon as the helicopter spotted the car and circled overhead, the car drove westbound on the service road.  Air One followed the suspect vehicle and provided updates via radio to patrol.  Air One and patrol elements followed the car until a felony traffic stop was attempted near IH-35 northbound at Camp Wisdom Road.  The vehicle finally stopped just south of Laureland Road.  The passenger, later identified as Walter Brown, B/m/02-04-91, jumped from the car and crossed all six lanes of traffic, avoiding vehicles, while fleeing westbound.  Brown, seeing that patrol officers were waiting for him on the southbound service road, turned around and ran back across the freeway. 

Brown then fled eastbound on foot, while being followed by the “night sun,” which is the spotlight mounted on the underside of the helicopter.  After jumping a fence, Brown disappeared in a wooded area behind the 7-Eleven at Laureland Road and RL Thornton Freeway.  Air One kept the area illuminated with the “night sun,” which effectively contained Brown to that wooded area.  Patrol officers were then able to search the field and found Brown hiding inside a drainage culvert.  Brown was taken to Jack Evans Police headquarters were he was questioned by Robbery detectives. During questioning, he admitted to robbing the store and to drug possession – crack cocaine, baggies and a drug scale all found in a purple Crown Royal bag in the car. The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody at the traffic stop. During questioning, officers found that he had driven Brown away from the offense location under duress. He was released and not charged in this offense. A third suspect involved in the offense left the location on foot and is still at large. Officers did not recover the gun.

Brown was taken to jail and charged with Aggravated Robbery, Evading Arrest and Possession of a Controlled Substance. In addition, he had a Parole Violation.

This offense is documented on service number 98961-B.