Caller Foils Gas Station Robbery

Two Winnsboro men were arrested Sept. 30 when their robbery plans were foiled by an alert passer-by.

According to the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety, at 12:14 p.m. on Sept. 30, dispatch received a call from a citizen who had spotted two masked men coming around the back of the Jet-Co station at 420 S. Congress St. When officers arrived at 12:15 p.m., they saw two men walking away from the store. Both were directed by officers to come to the squad car. The first subject, 19-year-old Steven Lamar Armstrong of Cherry Road, did so, but his partner, 18-year-old Brenton Seibles of Winnsboro Arms Apartments, took off on foot.

Officers gave chase and pursued Seibles down Palmer Street, where they observed Seibles as he removed a handgun from the pocket of his pants and toss it into some nearby bushes. Seibles then darted behind a house on Palmer Street, this time pursued also by Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies. Seibles emerged behind the Coroner’s Office, jumped a fence and crossed over to Freddy Wilson’s car dealership. Officers found Seibles hiding between two cars on the lot, where he was handcuffed and arrested.

Armstrong, meanwhile, had been detained by officers and had informed police of the pair’s intentions to rob the Jet-Co, police said. Once in custody, Seibles led officers to where he had tossed the handgun. Both men were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. Seibles was also charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol and flight to avoid prosecution.

Police said Seibles had no prior convictions on his record, although Armstrong has several convictions as a juvenile, including burglary and petty larceny.

“We were fortunate, in this case, to have been alerted by law-abiding citizens,” Freddie Lorick, Chief of Public Safety said. “This could have been a very dangerous situation.”

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