TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- Tupelo police have arrested a man believed to be responsible for the armed robbery of Sam's Cell Phones and Accessories.
Terrence M. White, 19, of North Carolina was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon.
Early Tuesday morning, Rankin Elementary School was placed on lockdown for about an hour while authorities searched the area for White.
"They (the students) were in the vicinity of a felony that involved a firearm. It's just common sense safety until we get things cleared up," said Detective Rusty Haynes.
Store owner Ammar Khaled said all he could think about was his family when a masked man walked into his store, put a gun to his chest and demanded money and cell phones.
"It's a gun in your chest. (He is) just counting (down) for 10 seconds (until I) die. I was just trying to make him happy," said Khaled.
Khaled said the suspect didn't just want any kind of phone. He wanted the most expensive phones in the store.
After only a few seconds, the suspect ran out of the store when a customer walked in.
Tupelo patrol units, the K-9 unit and the Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene.
The investigation resulted in the recovery of some of the items related to the armed robbery that led them to believe White was involved.
"Time is always important with anything you are dealing with. As memory fades and more things come in, it's always best to get a handle on something as quick as possible, if at all possible," said Haynes.
