Lexington teen arrested for armed robbery

Lexington, SC (Paul Kirby) – Lexington police officers have arrested a teen after he is believed to have committed an armed robbery on East Main Street Friday afternoon.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 2020, officers were dispatched to the Cedarcrest Village shopping center, located at 955 East Main Street in Lexington. They were told by personnel with Lexington County's 911 Center that a caller had dialed 911 and reported that an armed robbery had just occurred.

When the first officers arrived at the scene, they met with a man who stated that he had just been robbed of his mobile phone. He described the suspect as a white male who had a handgun and was wearing short pants. The man said that after the suspect had his phone, he put the pistol in his pocket and walked away. The victim indicated the suspect was walking in the direction of the Cedarcrest Village Apartments.

Within minutes, a Lexington Police Department K-9 team began a track that led officers to an apartment complex within the Cedarcrest Village Apartments. During this period, an officer was able to call and talk to the suspect on the mobile phone that he had just stolen. That officer began developing a rapport with the young man. That officer began negotiating with the suspect to peacefully surrender. Minutes later, the officer was able to impress upon the teen the seriousness of what he had done and also the situation he was himself in at that point. Within a short time, the teen suspect opened the door to the apartment where he was hiding and surrendered. He was arrested without incident by officers.

During the investigation, it was found that the suspect in this case is 15 years old. Because of his age, his name will not be released.

He has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice awaiting court and this case will be forwarded to the 11th Circuit Solicitor's Office Family Court for prosecution.