Silent Witness segment on FOX 10 helps another police department catch a suspect
PHOENIX - An arrest in Phoenix nearly 10 months in the making has been made, and it's all because of a FOX 10 segment on a Saturday morning.
A sergeant at a police department saw the sergeant of another police department on our air talking about a crime, and that's when all the pieces came together.
The Silent Witness team sat down with FOX 10 like most Saturday mornings. They say after every case we cover, they get calls with tips.
Last month, the caller was from another police department in the Valley.
‘It just confirms that the program works, right?’
At the start of each shift, Tolleson Police Sgt. Erik Mendez gets his patrol car ready for the calls ahead.
"Typical patrol day, going call to call to call, and then you're investigating an armed robbery," he said.
But that call, which led to the arrest of two people, was in May, nearly a year ago. Months later, in February, he was scrolling through the FOX 10 app looking at crime stories.
"On the thumbnail, I immediately saw the picture of the suspects and I recognized them as the same suspects that I arrested. They were still wearing the same clothing," Sgt. Mendez said.
It was from the Silent Witness segment on FOX 10 AZAM.
The case was serious.
Outside the Walmart at 75th Avenue and McDowell Road, two men showed a gun and threatened to kill two victims for a gold chain, Phoenix Police said.
Even though the case was from last May, the surveillance video captured clear images, and that's why Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower picked the case to be highlighted on TV.
"I know it affected two of the victims that were involved. In Phoenix, it was a very violent crime, but you also had the added benefit of having a clothing description that was very identifiable," Sgt. Bower said.
Once Sgt. Mendez saw it, he says he knew it was the same man he arrested for a different armed robbery that day.
He called Silent Witness and this month, Mekai Roquemore was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery with a deadly weapon.
Mekai Roquemore
"It just confirms that the program works, right?" Sgt. Bower said.
Sgt. Mendez agrees.
"It speaks to the power of media. The more information out there, somebody has to know something. So I'm a huge believer in, if you see something, say something, because you might be able to make an impact on somebody," he said.
Silent Witness officers know who the other suspect is, but they need more information in order to get probable cause for a search warrant.
Sgt. Bower says to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS if you can help. You can stay anonymous.