FO armed armed robbery suspect tracked down in Chattanooga
A man accused of carjacking a Fort Oglethorpe man at gunpoint and making off with hundreds of dollars worth of tools and equipment is now behind bars, police say.
According to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department:
Twenty-eight-yearold Dustin Phillip Redmond of Florida was arrested Aug. 31 on charges of armed robbery, highjacking of a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm or knife while trying to commit a crime. Redmond has been denied bond.
The alleged incident occurred just after 11 a.m. on Aug. 30 in the parking lot of Park Place Restaurant in Fort Oglethorpe on LaFayette Road.
The victim called police claiming a man had approached him at gunpoint and then took off in his truck, reports show.
Police Lt. Steve Blevins says Redmond initially started talking to the victim about possible work he could do and then demanded his keys and wallet before producing the gun.
“He (Redmond) asked to used the victim’s cell phone, then demanded he give up his wallet, at which time the suspect pulled a black handgun from behind his back,” Blevins said.
Blevins says he and Detective Tammy Davis spotted Redmond in the truck shortly thereafter, but that they were unable to catch him.
After gathering a description and interviewing witnesses, Blevins said, they were able to quickly get leads in the case.
Ultimately, Blevins said, authorities were able to track Redmond to Red Bank, Tenn., where he was taken into custody.
“We got a lead on him and identified him from a witness at the crime scene and eventually determined he was staying in the East Lake area of Chattanooga, Tenn.,” Blevins said. “We tracked him to Red Bank the following day and picked him up on a job site on Dayton Boulevard, where he was working construction.”
After the whole ordeal, police were able to get the majority of the victim’s property back.
After being arrested in Chattanooga initially, Redmond was extradited back to Georgia and booked into the Catoosa County jail on Sept. 4.