Flowood Police were involved in a chase that begin as a fleeing shoplifter, but ended in the arrest of an armed robbery suspect identified as Jacariel Kevion Johnson, 20 of Brandon.
An officer responded to the Flowood Wal-Mart Monday to arrest a suspected shoplifter and during the arrest, he resisted the arrest and fled from the store and sped away in a 2004 Mercedes Benz SUV. He was pursued for a short distance until responding officers were able to detain him without further incident.
“One of our responding officers recognized the shoplifter from a July 2016 armed robbery. Although the suspect wasn’t caught back in July, he was subsequently identified by our detectives and we were looking for him. The incident in 2016 resulted in the suspect using a knife to rob a nearby convenient store and fled in the same vehicle he used today,” said Chief of Police Richie McCluskey.
“The arrest is a result of the great team work by our department from identifying the suspect, minimizing the pursuit and recalling a case from a year ago by vehicle and suspect description. This arrest is also a reminder to those that choose to come and commit a crime- we will catch you. If not immediately, certainly in due time” he added.
Johnson is charged with Resisting Arrest, Fleeing from Law Enforcement Officers, Shoplifting (2 counts), Reckless Driving, Disobeying a Traffic Control Device (3 counts) and in an unrelated case, Armed Robbery currently being pursued by the courts. If convicted Johnson faces up to life in prison. As with all cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
