Businesses Relieved After SWAT Arrests Alleged Serial Robbers

A day after SWAT officers arrested five people in connection with at least a dozen robberies around Columbus,
people who work at and own local businesses recently targeted by robbers, are relieved.

Police say a month-long investigation into at least a dozen robberies in the City of Columbus ended Wednesday night with a shooting
behind a Family Dollar store on South James Road.

SWAT officers opened fire and shot a teenage suspect accused of robbing the store.

Police say the teen and four others are connected to a dozen robberies across Columbus over the past month.

The suspects charged with aggravated robbery are identified by police as:

•    Marquan Watkins, 17
•    Makevelli Mock, 17
•    Laquez Johnson, 17
•    Kayron Watkins, 23
•    Lakisha Watkins, 30

One of the businesses recently robbed was the Mount Vernon Drive-Thru on Mt. Vernon Avenue.

An employee tells 10TV it was terrifying, when he says he faced four masked men who barged into the store with guns and start shooting.

He did not want his identity revealed, for fear of his safety, but he did show 10TV where the bullet grazed his head and went through a door in the store.

“They almost killed me. That was a bad day,” said the employee

Since then, he says he has been less trusting and more careful.

He says the store's surveillance video showed the gunmen in action, but he didn't know who they were, as they were wearing masks in the video.

He says he hopes the people police arrested Wednesday night, from the robbery at the Family Dollar, are the same people, who caused him such harm.  

“Well, finally, we get a break and work freely. That was terrorizing a whole two weeks for every store worker,” said the employee. “That's good for all the business people. That's a good break for us.”

Now, managers and owners of store, after store, after store that had been hit by thieves tell 10TV they are relieved to hear that SWAT officers arrested the group.

Columbus police robbery detectives continue their investigation into the string of robberies and the people arrested Wednesday night.