Witness: Sagging pants helped police catch restaurant robbers

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A restaurant owner is thanking police for quickly apprehending two men who allegedly robbed his store.

Police say the robbers held one of the workers at gunpoint and took $120 from the cash register before running away.

Xavier Mitchell and Jimmy Wright, both 24 years old, face armed robbery charges in connection with Wednesday's robbery of the Golden Crown Mandarin Chinese Restaurant on Riverdale Road in Clayton County.

Officers say the robbers didn't get far, thanks to police arriving quickly, an eagle-eye neighbor and police canines.

"He was running with the bag of money," Kevin Cummings told Channel 2's Tom Jones.  Cummings works nearby and says he saw the robbers running by his store.

He says one of the robber's pants was sagging and that slowed him down.

"Actually, his pants was low to the ground, like real low to the ground. He fell, got back up and kept running with the other dude. He was pretty slow," he said.

Clayton County police say they were on the scene within minutes.

A neighbor reported seeing two men running towards a house less than a mile from the store. "Officers searched. They actually found one of the hoodies that was described that the person was possibly wearing," Captain Tina Daniel said.

With the help of canines Osco and Brodie,  police say they located Mitchell under the deck of a house on Kristen Cove. They say he quickly surrendered.

Police say they found Wright inside the home. They say he tried to run, then punched an officer and punched the canine.

"Instead of giving up quietly the suspect began punching the dog as the dog was apprehending him," Officer Charles McDaniel said. "Which did not lead well in his best interest."

Wright was bitten in the leg and foot, which is why was in a wheelchair when he went before a judge.

Cummings says it wasn't smart to rob the restaurant and dumb to hit and run from a police dog. "You think you can run from a dog. Come on, four legs against two," he said.

Both men are in jail with no bond for now.

Wright's family says he wasn't raised to rob people and his troubles are the result of him hanging with the wrong crowd.

WSBTV