This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two teens were arrested Wednesday morning after they allegedly tried to rob a Taylorsville smoke shop for a second time in a 24-hour period.
When the teens, males ages 17 and 19, appeared outside Lucky's Smoke Shop at 4128 S. Carriage Square (about 1750 West) Wednesday morning, the clerk recognized them as the two who had allegedly robbed her at gunpoint the previous morning, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.
"Usually people grab something and run away, but this time was different. They came with a gun," said shop owner Juma Alsiwedi, whose wife, Maribel, was working the counter during the robbery on Tuesday.
Before the suspects could enter the store Wednesday, Maribel locked the doors and called the cops.
"She did a good job," Juma said.
Unified Police responded to the emergency call at 10:46 a.m., exactly three minutes before they had responded to an emergency call from the same clerk about the same suspects the day before.
"I've seen it happen a couple times in my career," Hoyal said. "It's very seldom you have the kind of crime where they come back to same business almost exactly 24 hours later."
This time, there was no escape for the suspects.
Officers from both the Unified and West Valley City police departments responded quickly and set up a perimeter, Hoyal said. The two suspects tried to flee after they were spotted crossing 4100 South.
One of the suspects was arrested in the parking lot behind a Kmart and the other was apprehend after he emerged from the Redwood Apartments wearing a change of clothes, Hoyal said.
A pistol was recovered in the Kmart parking lot.
The teens were arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery. The 19-year-old was booked into the Salt Lake County jail while the 17-year-old was booked into Salt Lake Valley Detention Center for juveniles, Hoyal said.
Twitter: @Harry_Stevens