Three suspects allegedly robbed two stores between the Georgia/North Carolina state line and Blue Ridge, fled law enforcement and were then caught in the area of Ingles in Blue Ridge Sunday afternoon, February 9.
According to the booking report from the Fannin County Adult Detention Center, charges were pending Monday morning against:
•Tiazsa Emonni Best, 21, 2858 Fieldstone Ct. SE, Conyors, Georgia;
•Justin Avery Scales, 22, 605 Willow Wind Dr., Loganville, Georgia; and,
•Tariq William Strickland, 21, 1141 Hannaford Ln., Duluth, Georgia.
Fannin County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Gary Edwards said the suspects were in the area of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino in Murphy before they stole lottery tickets from the convenience store near the Georgia/North Carolina state line on Spur 60. After leaving this store, they traveled to the Bee Hive convenience store in Mineral Bluff where they allegedly stole more lottery tickets.
Fannin K-9 Sergeant Jacob Pless heard the two calls reporting the thefts and began to actively search for the suspects. He located their vehicle at the Lakewood intersection on Highway 515 with Georgia Highway 60.
The suspects fled Pless, fleeing along Highway 60 before turning toward Blue Ridge on Old Highway 76. Due to the nature of the way the call was dispatched, which was an armed robbery, Edwards said law enforcement performed a pit maneuver on the suspects’ vehicle at the Aska Connector near Fannin County Middle School.
The suspects made a u-turn and fled up Orvin Lance Drive, where they were spotted aggressively swerving by Blue Ridge Police Department Captain Robbie Stuart.
Stuart pursued them as they fled across Highway 515 and up the hill near Ingles towards Blue Ridge Village. There, the suspects crashed through the community’s gate before wrecking into a tree.
The driver of the vehicle fled on foot and was run down and captured in the area of Taco Bell by Stuart. The other two suspects were apprehended at the scene of the crash.
All three suspects remained in jail Monday morning.