At 10:00 this morning, a robbery occurred at a residence on Ballantyne Crossing Avenue. This is in the Ballantyne Country Club Community on the east side of Johnston Road. According to police, the description of events are as follows:The female resident (wife) arrived home after visiting the Wachovia Branch Bank located at Ballantyne Commons Pkwy and Elm Lane. She parked her car in the garage and entered the residence and left the garage door open. She left the door from the garage to the house unlocked as well because her husband was outside doing yard work in the backyard.
After being in the house for approximately 10 minutes, the wife emerged from the bedroom and was confronted by a suspect in the hallway holding a handgun. The suspect immediately asked the victim where her jewelry was located. The victim told the suspect that her jewelry was in her bedroom and the suspect walked the victim into the bedroom at gunpoint. He took three boxes of jewelry and started toward the door leading to the garage.
The male resident (husband) had just entered the residence when he saw the suspect approaching him. The wife yelled to her husband that they were being robbed. The husband engaged the suspect in a physical struggle. The wife informed the husband that the suspect had a gun so the husband stopped fighting the suspect. The suspect then ran out of the house, got into a car, and fled the scene. Neither of the victims were injured.
We are asking residents to be on the look out for a white Acura with a “New York Yankees” novelty plate on the front and a temporary dealer tag on the back. The tag begins with the numbers 219. If you see this car, call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 704 334-1600. The suspect was described as a black male, 6 feet tall, 205 pounds, short hair, approximately 30 years old. The suspect was wearing a matching brown shirt and pants. The shirt was a collared, button-up short sleeve style. The victims described the clothing as being similar to medical style "scrubs."
Police have two theories as to why this residence was targeted. One possibility is that the suspect followed the wife home from the bank. Logically, this seems less likely since the suspect did not ask for money. The other possibility is that the suspect saw the victims’ open garage door from Johnston Road. The residence is adjacent to Johnston Road and the garage faces Johnston Road.
Captain Golding says CMPD strongly urges you to keep your garage doors shut and your doors locked. This is especially true if your house is near a major thoroughfare. Even if you are doing yard work in the back of your house, shut the garage door after removing your equipment. I realize that this is inconvenient but it’s goes a long way to make your home less inviting to a criminal.