Off-duty Lilburn officer catches burglars red-handed
(Credit: Lilburn Police Department)
LILBURN, Ga. - A couple of burglary suspects were caught with their hands in the cookie jaw when an off-duty Lilburn officer said she saw them loading items from a local liquor store into the trunk of a stolen car after hours.
Officer Trice said she was on her way home after working a shift when she saw a black Dodge Charger backed up to the front of the Royal Package liquor store on Lawrenceville Parkway. She said the trunk was open and several masked individuals were involved.
She used the nearby Chevron parking lot to turn around, startling the suspects who sped off and led her on a short chase.
The Charger eventually crashed at Mountain Industrial Boulevard near Highway 78. The suspects hopped out and ran.
Officer Trice was able to catch the driver. A second suspect was arrested later Monday afternoon.
Police believe the group was also responsible for at least three other overnight burglaries in which they escaped from Gwinnett County police and the Georgia State Patrol.
(Credit: Lilburn Police Department)
They were driving with a license plate stolen from a vehicle in Forest Park, according to police. The Charger they were in had also been reported stolen from a hotel near the airport.
Police said the trunk was full of evidence.