Authorities have charged two men in connection to a series of robberies that occurred at 7-Eleven convenience stores throughout Northern Virginia, Fairfax County police said Dec. 29.
Robbery Squad detectives from the departmentÕs Major Crimes Bureau began investigating this series of robberies on Dec. 6 at the 7-Eleven at 9511 Blake Lane in Oakton. A man entered the business, walked behind the counter and demanded the clerk open the register. The man took property and fled, police said.
A second robbery occurred Dec. 11 at the 7-Eleven at 8110 Old Dominion Drive in McLean. Two men entered the business, implied they had a weapon, took property and fled the store.
Forensic evidence recovered from one of the crime scenes led to the identification of one of the suspects, Kelly Smith, 25, of Chantilly, police said. Police arrested Smith Dec. 13 and authorities have charged him with two counts of robbery. The following day, detectives were able to link Kelly to a third robbery and authorities charged him with the additional robbery while he remained at the detention center, police said.
Investigative leads and additional interviews led detectives to the identification of a second suspect in the robbery series. Authorities have charged Terrell Tapscott, 29, of Gainesville with four counts of robbery and Virginia State Police served those warrants. Authorities are holding both men without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
Police think both men have been involved in additional robberies in neighboring jurisdictions. The departmentÕs detectives are working with law-enforcement partners to help link the suspects to additional cases.