A 33-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly robbing a West End grocery store with an air gun.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, the manager of the Safeway at 299 S. Van Dorn Street reported that two men walked into the store and waited at the customer service counter, where cigarettes are sold. The manager said that one of the men seemed drunk and displayed a firearm, assaulted him, and then stole a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of beer from the store, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The store’s assistant manager also told the Alexandria Police Department that he tried to call 911, but that the suspect pushed the button on the receiver.
The manager told police that the suspect and his accomplice left the store with stolen beer and cigarettes, and that the suspect returned momentarily and threw the pack of Newports back across the counter. The manager reportedly followed the suspects as they left the store, and saw the man throw the gun in a dumpster, walk away, and then return to retrieve the weapon.
“[The manager] stated he grabbed the pack, and when he turned around, the suspect was at the entrance to the customer service counter and came inside,” APD said in the affidavit. “He stated the suspect slapped the pack out of his hand and pushed him. The suspect then grabbed a pack of Newport cigarettes and walked around to the front of the counter.”
The manager said he started to argue with the suspect, when he “pulled his shirt up, showing a black handgun in his waistband, and threatened to shoot him,” according to the affidavit.
APD identified the suspect with the firearm as Kareem Taylor, via parking lot security footage taken by nearby businesses. The other suspect was not identified, and the pair were recorded leaving the scene in a black Ford Escape. APD found that Taylor was recently arrested and was found in possession of an air pistol modeled after a Glock 17.
The next day, Sept. 21, Taylor was arrested for allegedly robbing a Giant grocery store in Fairfax County of cigarettes and charged with attempted robbery using force and being drunk in public.
“Mr. Taylor was stopped in a black Ford Escape,” APD said in the affidavit. “At the time of the arrest, he was in possession of a black airsoft gun that replicated a Glock 17.”
Taylor was charged with robbery with threat of force, and goes to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 13. He goes to court for the Fairfax County offenses on Dec. 21.
