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2 Suspects Arrested After Attempted Robbery, Kidnapping
The men, along with a third suspect who remains at large, allegedly tried to rob a jewelry store in Guntersville, Alabama.
Authorities in Alabama arrested two men in connection with the attempted armed robbery of Griffins Jewelers of Guntersville. (Image courtesy of the Guntersville Police Department’s Facebook page)
Guntersville, Ala.—Authorities arrested two men in connection with the attempted armed robbery of a jewelry store in Alabama following an hours-long standoff.
The men are also suspected of kidnapping two women prior to the robbery.
The Guntersville Police Department responded to an armed robbery call at Griffins Jewelers of Guntersville at 10:23 a.m. on March 28, according to a statement from the department.
Three individuals had entered the store while armed and attempted to rob the location, but the manager fired a weapon at the robbers, causing them to flee.
Witnesses told police the suspects left in a white van headed southbound on U.S. Highway 431.
Shortly after the attempted robbery, the police department received a seemingly unrelated call about two missing women being at a nearby Lowe’s.
When officers arrived, they saw the vehicle involved in the jewelry store robbery in the Lowe’s parking lot.
They found the two missing women from nearby Brighton, Alabama, inside.
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The men are also suspected of kidnapping two women prior to the robbery.
The Guntersville Police Department responded to an armed robbery call at Griffins Jewelers of Guntersville at 10:23 a.m. on March 28, according to a statement from the department.
Three individuals had entered the store while armed and attempted to rob the location, but the manager fired a weapon at the robbers, causing them to flee.
Witnesses told police the suspects left in a white van headed southbound on U.S. Highway 431.
Shortly after the attempted robbery, the police department received a seemingly unrelated call about two missing women being at a nearby Lowe’s.
When officers arrived, they saw the vehicle involved in the jewelry store robbery in the Lowe’s parking lot.
They found the two missing women from nearby Brighton, Alabama, inside.
Brighton police said the women, Alma Nestor and Rosaneli Castro, were parked by the Bessemer Super Highway, where they sell water and food to those heading to work in the early morning hours, according to a local news report.
Around 5:30 a.m., two men approached the van, forced the women inside, and drove off with them. The abduction and carjacking were caught on surveillance videos.
The women did not know their abductors, said police. They got in contact with their family members, who alerted the police.
The women and their van had been left in the parking lot after the attempted robbery, and they were unharmed.
The suspected robbers were identified as Jonathan Banks of Guntersville and Andre Burgin of Midfield, Alabama, according to Guntersville police.
Guntersville police could not be reached for comment about the status of the third suspect.
On March 29, police obtained warrants for the two men for the robbery of the jewelry store.
The Guntersville police contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Birmingham Division to ask for help, believing the men to be in the Birmingham area.
The suspects were found after barricading themselves inside the attic of a local residence, said police.
It took several hours for tactical teams to remove the men, turning them over to Guntersville police.
The men were booked into Marshall County Jail on felony warrants.
Guntersville police noted that a number of law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation and apprehension of the two suspects.
The investigation is ongoing.
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