Valley police arrest Taco Bell armed robbery suspects - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

Valley police arrest Taco Bell armed robbery suspects

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VALLEY, AL (WTVM) -

It was a bad morning for employees inside the Taco Bell restaurant in Valley along 20th Avenue as two masked men armed with guns stormed into the restaurant and demanded money.

Police say Valintez Edmonson and Saterio Potts are 21-year-old next-door neighbors in Lanett. The pair apparently had no idea the Taco Bell they allegedly tried to rob Monday morning was so close to the Valley Investigations Division.

Before they could even get out of the store, investigators were in the parking lot and ready for a chase on foot.

"My unit the criminal investigation unit is just about three or so blocks from the Taco Bell, so we responded," said Captain David Smith with the Valley Police Criminal Investigations Unit. "When they ran out of the restaurant I had three deputies on foot perusing them." 

Police say Edmonson and Potts walked in behind the morning shift as they were coming on duty but failed to notice one of the workers was on the phone with his sister, who heard the robbery taking place and called 911. 

Valley patrol, the Lanett Police Department, state troopers and members of the Chambers County drug task force all responded while steps were taken to notify and protect nearby Shawmut Elementary School, which was placed on lockdown. 

"We had two armed suspects, who just commented a robbery somewhere near and they were running through back yards and front yards jumping fences," said Smith.

Shortly after the robbery, the two men were discovered hiding under a house and behind a propane tank in the neighborhood along 30th Street and 29th Boulevard.  

Investigators recovered the two handguns and some of the stolen cash.

Police say the two men face first degree armed robbery charges and more charges are possible. They also say there could be more to this story and these two suspects, but they aren't ready to release those details just yet.

News Leader 9 will keep you updated on any new developments.

Copyright 2013 WTVM. All rights reserved.

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