Man robbed at gunpoint of expensive diamond ring at North Carolina Walmart

Occurred December 30, 2014.


A man had arranged on Craigslist to sell a very expensive diamond ring and meet the buyers in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Spring Lake, North Carolina.  He was waiting for them in the parking lot when two men arrived and robbed him of the ring, at gunpoint, then fled.

One of the robbers, Patrick Dewayne Flanagan, 19, who is also a felon, was captured, along with the ring and a 9mm handgun.  The other robber, Tony D.L. Adams, 20, is still on the run.

From an article:

The holdup occurred in the parking lot of the Spring Lake Walmart around 1:15 p.m. Monday. Authorities said the victim agreed to meet two other men to sell a diamond engagement ring, valued around $3,200.

As the man waited for the pair to show up, police say Patrick Dewayne Flanagan, 19, opened the passenger door, held the man at gunpoint and took off with the ring.

Police said the driver, 20-year-old Tony DL Adams, dropped Flanagan off prior to the meeting. Adams drove away in a gold Ford car.

Police found Flanagan nearby, off Pinetree Lane. They said they recovered the ring and a 9mm handgun from him. Flanagan was arrested and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy and possession of a firearm by a felon. He is currently in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $75,000 bond.

Police are still searching for Adams, who is a person of interest in several other recent Spring Lake robberies, including another Craigslist meet up that occurred on Friday afternoon along Main Street. Adams is also facing robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy charges.

Spring Lake Police Chief Troy McDuffie reminded residents to use caution in performing online transactions. Although the victim met the suspects in a public area, during daylight hours, there are some other precautions to take, said McDuffie.

"It's probably also good to bring somebody with you and always watch your surroundings," he said. "I think this particular person was sitting in his vehicle waiting for someone to show up and before he knows it, the person opens up the door and holds him at gunpoint. So you have to watch your surroundings."

You might also want to avoid Walmart stores.

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Gunman robs Walmart in North Carolina

Occurred December 30, 2014.


A man entered a Walmart store in Greensboro, North Carolina, armed with a gun, and robbed the money center there, then fled.

Luckily, no one was harmed.

From an article:

A man walked into the business, located at 121 W. Elmsley St., about 11:20 a.m. today armed with a gun and handed a note to an employee, said Susan Danielsen, police spokeswoman.

The man got an undisclosed amount of money and fled through the grocery side of the store, she said.

Since 2013, Greensboro has seen two other armed robberies by gunmen at Walmart stores.  See HERE and HERE.

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Four gunmen rob a victim during a drug deal in a North Carolina Walmart parking lot

Occurred December 16, 2014.


A drug deal was going down in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Monkey Junction, North Carolina, when things went bad.  Four men pulled handguns and robbed a victim while in a car.  Police responded soon after and arrested the four men.

From an article and news video:

Deputies said they received information of a drug deal going on in the parking lot of Walmart and Murphy gas station on Monday. Deputies said they stopped the vehicle and detained five people.

While conducting their investigation deputies say they discovered that four of the suspects had pulled handguns on one individual in attempt to rob him. The suspects have been identified as Tamrick Hobley, 20, Joseph Hanible, 28, Matthew Rousey, 19, and Demetrius Campbell, 23. They are facing various charges including kidnapping, drug charges and assault.

Deputies placed the four suspects under arrest and transported them to the New Hanover County Detention Facility.

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AR-15 assault rifle and ammo stolen from North Carolina Walmart

Occurred November 25, 2014.


A man walked into a Walmart store in Asheville, North Carolina, broke into a display case, and stole an AR-15 assault rifle and 150 rounds of ammo, stuffed it in his clothing, and calmly walked out with them.

From an article:

City police are asking for help finding a suspect who stole an assault-style rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition from Walmart on Airport Road.

The thief broke into a locked gun cabinet in the sporting goods section of the store about 10 p.m. Tuesday, Asheville police Sgt. Dave Romick said.

Video surveillance shows the man stealing an AR-15 rifle, then "stuffing the rifle down his pants and exiting the store," Romick said.

The suspect is described as white and 30-35 years old. He is believed to be 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-10 and 150 pounds with short brown hair. He was wearing a white and blue baseball cap, white T-shirt, blue jeans and a black jacket. The suspect may be traveling in a white, newer model, four-door sedan.

The rifle and ammo were valued at $920, according to a police report.

An additional news article and video.

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North Carolina teen wounded in Walmart shooting

Occurred September 6, 2014.

Scene of shooting at Goldsboro Walmart (source)

An 18-year old boy was shot and wounded in an altercation in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

From an article and news video:

The Goldsboro Police Department is investigating a shooting in the parking lot of a Walmart store.

It happened Saturday around 8:20 p.m. on U.S. 70 West.

Investigators said 18-year-old Jordan Lynn suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks. He was treated and released at Wayne Memorial Hospital.

Police say Lynn and the shooter apparently know each other, but they have not yet named the suspect.

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North Carolina man fires gun as "warning shot" in parking lot of a Walmart store

Occurred August 3, 2014.


A man fired "warning shots" in the parking lot of a Walmart Supercenter, in the North Pointe Plaza in North Charleston, North Carolina.  He said he fired the shots because he had "been harassed for a ride" by another man who fled in a car.

No one was injured.

From an article:

Officers on scene say they were told by witnesses that two males were in a conversation at 7400 Rivers Avenue when one of the males got in a vehicle and took off.

Police say while the male was driving off he fired several shots in the air. Moments later, the subject called dispatchers and told them that he fired warning shots at a male subject who was harassing him for a ride, according to officials.

Police say the male driver has been detained and they have found the weapon that was discharged.

No injuries were reported.

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Shots fired at car in North Carolina Walmart parking lot

Occurred June 4, 2014.


Shots were fired at a man in a vehicle, in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Raleigh, North Carolina, hitting other cars in the process.  Luckily, no one was injured.

Police later tracked down the accused shooter, Uchenna Jermel Okechukwu, 20, in an apartment with a 20-year old female and with cocaine.

No motive was released for the shooting.

From an article:

Detectives who went to a man's apartment Wednesday to charge him with shooting up cars and a Walmart store early Tuesday also charged him with cocaine trafficking after finding the drug there, police said.

Uchenna Jermel Okechukwu, 20, was in the apartment at 6742 Narrow Valley Way in north Raleigh along with the woman who shares the apartment, Shawyvashae Shanice Dixon, 20, according to arrest records.

With them, police found between 28 and 199 grams of cocaine, according to arrest warrants, and they charged both with trafficking and with maintaining the apartment to keep and sell drugs.

Investigation into the gunshots outside the New Bern Avenue Walmart about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday had led detectives to Okechukwu, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said.

In that case, police charged, Okechukwu had a semiautomatic pistol that he shot into a car a man was driving.

Bullets also hit other cars and the store, where people were shopping, arrest warrants charged.

No one was hit, and the man called police after he drove away from the shooter.
The gunman fled, police said.

Police charged Okechukwu with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of a gun by a felon, shooting into occupied property, injury to property and shooting a gun inside city limits.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/07/31/4041579/arrest-in-walmart-shoot-up-in.html#storylink=cpy

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Gunman robs Walmart in North Carolina

Occurred June 6, 2014.


23-year-old Anthony Velasco entered a Walmart store in Greenville, North Carolina, went to the Money Center in the store, and demanded cash at gunpoint.  He fled, but was soon captured by police.

From an article:

At approximately 1:20 p.m. police received a report of the robbery, which took place at the Money Center in the front of the store. Velasco wielded a handgun while demanding cash from the employees. He fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

Witnesses of the robbery were able to identify Velasco, the getaway vehicle and the tag number, leading police to the vehicle the same day. When signaled to pull over, the driver ignored Greenville Police leading them on a chase. The vehicle crashed into a cement pipe off County Home Rd., causing the car to catch on fire.

After attempting to flee the scene on foot, 23-year-old Velasco of Tull Road, who is a known Sureno-13 (SUR-13) gang member according to police, was arrested and taken into custody.

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Shots fired during robbery at North Carolina Walmart

Occurred June 4, 2014.

(UPDATED -- See below)

A man was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Sanford, North Carolina.  The robber then tried to flee, and when the victim gave chase, fired shots at the victim.  The robber then crashed and was caught by police.

From an article:

Police learned a man had been robbed of money and a cell phone. The suspect then got into a car with a driver and tried to get away.

The victim followed the suspect's car and the passenger fired several shots while in the parking lot before crashing.

Police arrested 22-year-old Dwayne Solomon Jr., of Sanford. He's being held in the Lee County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

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UPDATE (6/10/14):  A second suspect, 22-year old Devon Marquis Dorsett, turned himself in to police on advice of his attorney, even before a warrant for his arrest had been issued.

"Drug deal gone bad" at North Carolina Walmart leads to shooting that ends at Sam's Club

Occurred May 11, 2014.


Dakota Buchanan, 20, initially called 911 to report that he had been robbed at gunpoint, at a Walmart store in Burnsville, North Carolina.  He later confessed, though, that it was actually a "drug deal gone wrong" and had been shot at by a suspect with a shotgun during a chase that started at the Walmart and ended near a Sam's Club in the town.

From an article:

A Burnsville man, who initially reported being a victim of an armed robbery in the Walmart parking lot, confessed to police that he was actually the victim of a “drug deal gone bad” Sunday night. ....

Hendersonville Police Capt. Bruce Simonds said a young male called 911 to report he had been the victim of an armed robbery at 11:28 p.m. Sunday in the Walmart parking lot. Dakota Buchanan, 20, of Burnsville told police that he had just exited his car when someone put a shotgun in his face, made him get into a vehicle and robbed him of $596. ...

They said this was a 'drug deal gone bad,'” he said. The victim, identified as Dakota Buchanan, later confessed that it was a bad drug deal, he added, but there was more to the story.

The suspects told police they met and exchanged money for 40 Dilaudid pills, a narcotic analgesic known as hydromorphone used to treat moderate to severe chronic pain. Buchanan said he was given a pill bottle of BBs instead and the suspects fled, Simonds said.

Buchanan chased them down near Sam's Club, where the suspects fired at Buchanan's car with a sawed-off shotgun and he fired back at them with a 9mm Ruger, Simonds said.

Both guns were recovered after the incident.

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Woman robbed at gunpoint at North Carolina Walmart store

Occurred in March, 2014.


A man has just been arrested for an armed robbery with a gun of a woman at a Walmart store in Thomasville, North Carolina. 

From an article:

A 28-year-old man was arrested Monday and charged with threatening a woman with a gun and robbing her at the Walmart in Thomasville in March.

Andre Jermal Taylor, 28, of 709 Quail Road, was charged with felony robbery with a dangerous weapon. He is accused of threatening the use of a firearm and stealing the woman's personal property valued at $2,901.

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Robbery leads to shooting in North Carolina Walmart parking lot

Occurred April 11, 2014.

Scene of Belmont Walmart shooting (source)

Matthew Lee Ollis met two men, half-brothers, Malik Tymel Moore and Wesley Perkins III, with the intention of selling them a diamond ring as arranged on Craigslist, in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Belmont, North Carolina.

But the brothers snatched the ring and tried to drive away.

Ollis then opened fire with a pistol, firing many shots and causing shoppers to flee in panic.  The robbers, too, fled their vehicle.  Police arrived, and two men were found and taken into custody.  The third, Moore, escaped.

From an article:

That man, Matthew Lee Ollis, told police that Malik Tymel Moore and his half-brother, Wesley Perkins III,  snatched the ring and drove off in their Jeep.

Ollis told police he fired shots at the fleeing Jeep and flattened one of the tires.
“I heard ta-ta-ta-ta, and I said, ‘What in the world is that?’ All of a sudden I saw people ducking and jumping under their cars and I thought, oh dear God, oh dear God," said one shopper who witnessed the confrontation.

The shooter was questioned for several hours at the police station, and now faces several charges for discharging his gun in public.  Police recovered two weapons at the scene.

He was escorted in handcuffs to jail, but told NBC Charlotte he was shooting at the men to protect himself and his possessions. Ollis is charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. He was given a $100,000 secured bond.

Though Ollis was victimized in the robbery, he was wrong to fire his gun.  His own father and Chief of police agree:

"And he was in the wrong for firing shots and they were in the wrong also for trying to rip someone off when they should have been trying to make an honest living for themselves."
Ollis says his son was the shooter.

"And he should never been trying to fire bullets towards an occupied building."
Chief Franklin said Matthew Ollis will face charges.

"You can't just pull a gun out and shoot at someone, especially in the parking lot of Walmart" Chief Franklin said.

"The people who attempted to take the ring from him were running away as he was shooting at them. He was not really in danger plus the parking lot of Walmart was covered. One of the bullets could easily have shot an innocent bystander."

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Gunman robs cashier at North Carolina Walmart

Occurred February 7, 2014.


A man entered a Walmart store in Mooresville, North Carolina, pulled out a handgun, and robbed a cashier.

From an article:

Shortly before midnight, police responded to another report of an armed robbery at the Walmart at 169 Norman Station Blvd. The suspect is described as a black man with a graying goatee, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a black jacket, gray shirt, sunglasses and a blue toboggan. He displayed a handgun as he approached the cashier and demanded money from the register, according to police. He took cash and fled the scene on foot.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/08/4674742/mooresville-police-investigating.html#.U6felLFBnOM#storylink=cpy

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Man robs North Carolina Walmart at gunpoint

Occurred February 12, 2014.


A man robbed a Walmart store, threatening the cashier with a gun, in High Point, North Carolina.  He then fled.

From an article:

Police said the suspect walked in the store with a mask on and took a bank bag from a manager before he left. 

The suspect is accused of lifting his shirt to show his gun. Authorities said the suspect was caught on camera, but haven’t released the footage.

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Man shot at North Carolina Walmart

Occurred January 24, 2014.

Scene of shooting at Fayetteville Walmart (source)

25-year old Raeshean Calhoun was shot in the parking lot of a Walmart in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in what may have been a drug deal gone bad.  He then ran into the store and was eventually taken to the hospital for treatment.

From an article:

Raeshean Calhoun, 25, was shot in the hip about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Fayetteville police said.

Calhoun was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for treatment. He was not listed as a patient in the hospital Friday night.

Police have not named any suspects and are continuing to investigate, said Lt. Todd Joyce, spokesman with the Fayetteville Police Department.

"At this point in the investigation, detectives have information that this might be in relation to the exchange of narcotics," he said.

This is not the first shooting at that Walmart store. From the same article:

Walmart on Skibo Road has had problems with crime before. In March 2011, it ceased operating 24 hours a day following a violent robbery and a shooting.

At the time, Fayetteville police reported that Walmart had four times the calls for service as the city's other two Walmarts.

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Gunman and accomplices rob North Carolina Walmart at gunpoint

Occurred December 22, 2013.


After the Walmart store in Red Springs, North Carolina, had closed, a man with a gun robbed a clerk of the store money bag.  It was likely an inside job, since an employee had to let the man into the store, and the robber knew when the money would be transferred.

Three men have been arrested.  One is a current employee of the Walmart store, another is a former employee.

From an article:

Police have charged three Red Springs men, 22-year-old Demontra Yates of 105 Milpass St., 17-year-old Jeremy Locklear of 121 Barton Road and 19-year-old Montague Aaron McMillian with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit a robbery with a dangerous weapon. Police did not list an address for McMillian. 

The robbery occurred on Dec. 22 at about 9:45 p.m., according to Police Chief Ronnie Patterson. 

“Someone dressed all in black ran into the store with a handgun and pointed the weapon at the clerk,” Patterson said. “The robber demanded the store’s money bag and quickly left.” 

There were no customers in the 11,000-square-foot store at the time of the robbery and no one was injured. 

Patterson said investigators determined that because the Walmart was closed at the time that someone working inside the store had to let the gunman in. The gunman also appeared to know that employees were about to deposit the day’s receipts at the bank, the chief said. 

“All indications were that it was an inside job,” Patterson said. 

Patterson would not say how much money was taken. 

Police arrested Locklear, who was working at the store, and Yates, a former Walmart employee. 

McMillian is accused of entering the store with the gun. He turned himself into police on Saturday.

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Shots fired at a North Carolina Walmart

Occurred December 28, 2013.

(UPDATED -- see below)

Shots were fired in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Kernersville, North Carolina.  Police arrived and searched, but the shooter(s) got away.

From an article:

Police confirmed to WFMY News 2 that a call came in around 9:40 p.m. Saturday about shots fired outside the business. They say four shots had been fired in the parking lot at a vehicle that left the scene. The car was later found.

The store was evacuated because officers received word that two people involved in the shooting ran inside the store. Officers found them and say they are considered persons of interest. Investigators also found a gun at the scene.

Police say there were no reports of injuries. Customers were allowed back inside the store shortly after the shooting.

This is the second shooting at that Walmart store in a little over a year.  In October, 2012, a man shot into the store with a handgun.


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UPDATE (12/29/13):  The previous article was retracted.  HERE is an update.

Possible shots fired in North Carolina Walmart

Occurred December 24, 2013.


22-year old Christian York had been banned for shoplifting, but still re-entered a Walmart store in Aberdeen, North Carolina.  When confronted, York dropped a gun, which was picked up by his younger brother.  Shoppers reported shots fired, but police could not confirm this.

From an article:

A 22-year-old man who was banned from the Walmart for a previous shoplifting incident was spotted in the store early in the afternoon. Police confronted the man, later identified as Christian York. 

Police said York dropped a gun during the confrontation which was picked up by his 18-year-old brother, Justin York.

Justin York ran into the parking lot where he dropped the weapon, according to police.
Both men were taken into custody.

A witness told WNCN that shoppers heard what sounded like at least two gun shots near the grocery side of the store, located at 250 Turner St, around 3:30 p.m.

"We heard pops and then we saw everybody running towards one of the entrance doors, just massive amounts of people, just a stampede," said witness Ann Craven. 

Craven said Walmart associates told customers to evacuate the store.

Police said no shots were fired and no one was seriously injured in the incident.

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Armed robbery by gunmen in North Carolina Walmart

Occurred December 6, 2013.


A man and woman entered a Walmart store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and tried to shoplift some items.  When a loss-prevention employee approached them, the man threatened the employee with a gun and then fled.  Luckily no one was harmed.

From an article:

The male suspect allegedly pointed a handgun at a loss prevention officer before police arrived. No injuries were reported. 

Police said they circled the area and were able to recover the stolen property, but the suspects are still wanted.

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Two gunmen rob bank inside a North Carolina Walmart

Occurred December 1, 2013.


Two men entered a Walmart in Charlotte, North Carolina, and went to the Woodforest National Bank branch located inside.  There they pulled out guns and robbed the bank before fleeing.

Luckily, no shots were fired.

From an article which includes pictures and descriptions of the suspects:

According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Robbery Unit, two men robbed the Woodforest National Bank inside the Wilkinson Boulevard Walmart Sunday afternoon.

Detectives say the two men demanded money from a teller and fled the business.

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