Robbers tie up West Windsor store workers; getaway car blows up, cops say
WEST WINDSOR — Employees at an AT&T store at a busy traffic circle were "tied up" and put in a back room while suspects robbed the store before fleeing the scene, according to police.
Police were dispatched to the store at 3716 Route 1 just before 8 p.m. Tuesday on a report of an armed robbery. Police said they found a Chevy Equinox with what were determined to be fictitious plates.
When the driver of the vehicle saw police arrive on scene, she started driving north on Route 1 as a police car pursued her, police said.
At the store, other officers said they found two employees who had been taken to a back storage room after store hours. The officers said the employees had their hands and legs bound by zip ties. Two suspects, Gregory T. Smith and Benjamin Green, were arrested while trying to leave the storage area.
The statement from police said officers found "two loaded handguns, proceeds, and other instrumentalities." One of the guns, according to police, was loaded with hollow-point bullets.
The driver who fled the scene eventually switching to the southbound side of the roadway. Police say the driver, identified as Tyreane D. Tucker-Brown, "operated the vehicle in a highly aggressive manner," weaving in and out of traffic to attempt to evade the officers.
After exiting Route 1, Tucker-Brown came to a stop on Heritage Boulevard at Federal Court where she was arrested by a pursuing officer. The car, according to police, caught fire "due to the extreme and intense driving by Tucker-Brown." The fire was eventually put out by West Windsor emergency Services and firefighters a short time later.
Tucker-Brown was charged with robbery, kidnapping and eluding, in addition to being issued several motor-vehicle summonses. Smith and Green were charged with robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and kidnapping.
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