Chandler cops' real-time sting stops serial gunman during active armed robbery: PD
Serial armed robber caught mid-crime: Chandler PD
Watch the moment detectives ambush a suspected armed robber in Chandler.
CHANDLER, Ariz. - A suspected serial armed robber is in jail after Chandler police used license plate reading technology to track down her getaway vehicle and catch her in the act.
What we know:
Chalina Harrison is being held on a $150,000 bond following her arrest on July 7. Investigators say the 39-year-old woman robbed multiple people and businesses at gunpoint during a multi-day crime spree before detectives swooped in to stop her from victimizing anyone else in the community.
Security footage appears to show Chalina Harrison committing an armed robbery at an ARCO on Arizona Avenue. Inset: Harrison's mugshot. (Chandler Police Department, Maricopa County)
The backstory:
The search for Harrison began on the afternoon of July 4. Chandler officers responded to an armed robbery call at an ARCO gas station convenience store on South Arizona Avenue. Witnesses told police a woman held them up at gunpoint – collecting $880 – before fleeing the scene in a black minivan. Detectives used witness statements and surveillance footage to identify the suspect and get a description of her vehicle, kicking off a Valley-wide search.
A major break in the case:
Three days later, while detectives were still working on the initial investigation, Flock cameras alerted police that the black minivan had returned to the Chandler area. The department's Real-Time Operations Center quickly pinpointed the vehicle near Ocotillo Road and Arizona Avenue, allowing detectives to swarm a nearby parking lot.
As undercover officers located the van, a 911 call came in reporting a second armed robbery in progress at a Big 5 Sporting Goods store just steps away. Detectives converged on the storefront and took Harrison into custody the moment she exited the business.
Dig deeper:
Although a man stood outside pumping gas during the ARCO robbery, police said that "there was no indication that the male driver knew what just occurred."
Harrison allegedly admitted to robbing the Big 5 store for $200. "When asked what she would have done if the victim failed to give her the money, she indicated that she probably would have shot him," police said.
What's next:
Harrison was being held July 31 on two felony counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon and two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She's due back in front of a Maricopa County judge on Sept. 2.
Map of where police apprehended the suspected gunman:
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Chandler Police Department and Maricopa County Superior Court records.