Three men from Memphis who were arrested as suspects in connection to several jewelry store heists in Knoxville on Monday are also wanted in multiple cases across the country.
The suspects have multiple cases pending from Shelby, Hamilton and Davidson Counties in Tennessee, along with incidents in Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi, the Knoxville Police Department said in a news release.
The first robbery happened around 2 p.m. on Monday when one of the suspects, 30-year-old John L. Brown, grabbed two diamond rings and fled from the Kay Jewelers at Knoxville Center Mall in East Knoxville, the release said. KPD Officer Pickens responded and notified other patrol units the suspect may be headed to other stores in the area.
Less than an hour later, a suspect matching Brown's description robbed the Zales Store in West Town Mall, according to the release, stealing two different sets of earrings. KPD Officers Fontanez and Boyd circled the area after the robbery, but weren't able to find him.
Later on that day, Officer Fontanez was checking in on jewelry stores on Parkside Drive when he found Brown inside the Kay Jewelers at 11357 Parkside Drive. He was able to detain Brown without the incident, the release said, at which point Officer Pickens was able to arrive on the scene and confirm Brown was the suspect wanted for the Kay Jewelers robbery at Knoxville Center Mall.
Then, Officers Boyd and Pickens checked the parking lot outside the store and saw two men, Xavier L. Carter and Kordarious S. Childs, in a red Dodge Challenger sitting behind the building across from the Kay Jewelers on Parkside Drive. When the officers came near the car, Carter drove away.
Carter, 23, is suspected of committing a hit-and-run on Parkside Drive near Campbell Station Road while they were fleeing, the release said. The officers were able to take both men into custody a block from the scene of the hit-and-run, at which point the officers found the car smelled strongly like marijuana and that the tag was missing from the car.
They then found the missing tag in the car, as well as a pair of earrings stolen from the Zales store in the center console, according to the release.
Brown has been charged with theft in the West Town Mall incident. Brown also has an outstanding warrant for Felony Theft in Davidson County (bond is denied) and Shelby County (bond is denied).
Carter, the driver who fled from officers, is charged with theft, felony evading, and leaving the scene of an accident. Childs, 24, was charged with theft.
Additional local charges are pending for all three men, per the release.