A man stopped at the Circle K on Quacco Road, robbed it at gunpoint, fled the scene - and promptly ran out of gas as police chased him.
William Thomas Ayers, Jr., 47, was arrested and charged with Armed Robbery, Fleeing to Elude Police, Possession of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime and Theft by Receiving. Police said he grabbed a $100 bill that was lying on the register, then told the clerk to give him the rest of the money.
Ayers ran from the scene, got into a white car and drove away. Witnesses pointed out the car to officers who were in the area, and they caught up to Ayers just up the street in the area of Cottonvale Road and U.S. 17. When officers ran the car’s tag, they learned it was stolen.
-- Two men who had just stolen a car ran it into a flooded ditch, where it quickly sank. The car was equipped with windows that open automatically under water and both suspects got out - and were promptly arrested.
Police said three suspects had just robbed a man and taken his 2003 Audi at English Oaks Apartments. They chased the Audi and the Mercedes the suspects arrived in.
The two cars split up at Abercorn and Largo, and officers chased the Audi to the 204 exit at 17th Street, where the suspects ran off the road and into a ditch. The car ended up lodged on the other side of the culvert, so an SCMPD dive team member worked with a towing company to recover it.
Raheem Saamad Hicks, 20, and Thomas Emmanuel Capers, 19, were arrested. Capers was charged with Armed Robbery, Possession of a Firearm, a felony count of Fleeing to Elude and several traffic charges, and Hicks was charged with Armed Robbery.
K-9 officers were brought in to search for evidence and the Audi was towed to forensics for testing. Police determined that the Mercedes had been stolen as well, so a lookout was posted.
-- A 41-year-old Savannah women was arrested after committing two armed robberies in one day. Iona Denise Curry first stopped and offered a ride to a woman who was walking in the rain.
Because of the weather, the victim accepted and got in the car. Curry pulled over, showed the woman she had a gun, and demanded her purse.
The woman turned it over, got out of the car and called police. Shortly after, police were called to Cricket Wireless on Waters Avenue where they were told a woman matching Curry’s description had entered the store and demanded money at gunpoint.
Moments later, Officer Barry Lewis located Curry’s car in a parking lot and positioned his patrol car to keep watch. Curry was charged with two counts of Armed Robbery.
-- A South Carolina man was arrested after crossing the Talmadge Bridge and "attempting to cause havoc" in Savannah.
Police were contacted by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and told they had been chasing a Volvo, but stopped when the driver reached the Talmadge Bridge. They said they had tried to stop the driver for a traffic offense, and didn’t know why he wouldn’t stop.
A lookout was posted and 20 minutes later, a 911 call came in from a Berrien Street church. The caller said a man was trying to steal a license plate off a church van. Officers realized it was the same person and quickly responded.
The suspect was seen in downtown Savannah, and police tried to stop the Volvo. The suspect fled, but officers were able to keep sight of him.
After driving on the wrong side of Congress Street, the suspect abandoned the car near Franklin Square, ran to two cars and pulled a knife on the people inside them, but they locked their car doors. As the officers approached, the man threatened them with a knife, but was subdued.
Wesley Bush Sr., 65, of Bluffton, S.C., was arrested and charged with Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery, Armed Robbery, Fleeing to Elude Police, Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime and Theft by Taking.
-- The right lane of DeRenne Avenue eastbound was a slimy, gooey mess after a truck driver lost a load of 2,000 pounds of raw sausage meat during a heavy downpour. The driver told police he was cut off by another vehicle and had to hit his brakes, which caused the load to shift.
The right lane of DeRenne was closed for three hours as firefighters kept the meat from the waterway and sanitation crews cleaned it up. The driver wasn’t ticketed, but the trucking company will be billed for the cleanup.
