Posted on 10/17/2009 6:45:17 AM PDT by marktwain
The search continues for an armed and dangerous man wanted by Rockford police after a pawn shop robbery. The man's accomplice remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
"They had a couple down here, a couple in the alley and then they had it guarded off," said Laurie McLain.
McLain describes the police presence in her neighborhood about three hours after a crime scene took over the nearby Broadway Joe's Pawn Shop.
"It was just a shock. You could just tell there had been some type of violent crime there," McLain said.
Rockford firefighters and police responded to Broadway Joe's for an attempted robbery late Thursday afternoon. They say two black males entered the store wearing masks, pulled out a gun and shots rang out. But it's not clear yet who fired.
"All we know is shots were fired and one of the suspects was hit," Deputy Chief Theo Glover said.
Glover says the other suspect drove away in a red car.
McLain has lived in the neighborhood near Broadway Joe's for 21 years. She says until Thursday's incident here, there was never any trouble.
"Basically it's a quiet place. You never heard anything going on down there," McLain said.
Still, she says crime in general is a problem in her neighborhood, so seeing more isn't a big surprise.
"We see more people going in our alleys that don't belong there. We saw a lot of gang activity this summer," McLain said.
She credits community policing for helping out when she has an issue. But seeing the latest crime, just doors away, keeps her on edge.
"We're taking a little extra caution, keeping our doors locked more than we usually do," McLain said.
23 News also spoke with a business owner across the street from Broadway Joe's.
He wouldn't speak on camera. But he says he saw the suspects' car pull into the pawn shop. And he also saw a woman with them who stayed in the vehicle after the two men went inside. But 23 News hasn't confirmed that third party yet with police.
The suspect at large is described as black male in late 20's. Police say he's about five-feet-four-inches tall and 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing jeans and a white shirt. If you have information, call Rockford police.
Angel was the snitch, Rocky unwittingly drove the getaway truck, and Beth bailed Rockford out of jail.
These pawn shops are in the same neighborhood on the same street with the infamous Rockford abortion mill, for what it’s worth.
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