Mobile police arrested two teenagers hours after three masked men held up a convenience store on Virginia Street at gunpoint, while a third suspect remained at large as of Wednesday morning.
Officers booked 19-year-olds Paul Dukes and Quintell Winchester into Mobile County Metro Jail on Tuesday night on charges of first-degree robbery. According to Mobile Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Rains, Winchester attempted to flee from officers during the arrest and now faces additional charges of failure to obey and attempting to elude police.
The robbery unfolded around 11:30 p.m. Monday at Stadium Food Mart, located at 1301 Virginia Street. Investigators said three men entered the store, two of them armed with handguns, and demanded cash from the register. A cashier complied and handed over the money, after which the suspects also grabbed cigarettes and cigars before fleeing north on foot.
Police said the suspects wore blue cloth masks to conceal their faces, along with blue jackets and black pants. The suspect who remains at large was described as a Black man in his early 20s, roughly 5-foot-8 and about 150 pounds.
The Mobile Police Department is asking anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the outstanding suspect to contact investigators directly at 251-208-7211, or to reach out anonymously through the CrimeStoppers tip line at 251-208-7000. Tips can also be submitted by text using the keyword CRIME411 sent to CRIMES (274637).
Virginia Street convenience stores have periodically been targeted in overnight robberies, and police continue to encourage business owners and residents in the area to report suspicious activity promptly. Investigators noted that the swift arrests of two suspects came directly from a quick police response after the initial 911 call, underscoring the department’s emphasis on rapid follow-up in armed robbery cases.
The case remains under investigation as Mobile police continue searching for the third suspect connected to the robbery.