Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: Feb. 9, 2006

Phone: 318/673-6932 Fax: 318/673-6933

Contact: Kacee Hargrave, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Woman gets award for helping with Lee Michael’s robbery

Chief of Police Mike Campbell today presented an award to a citizen credited for providing information that has led to the arrest of one of the Lee Michael’s robbery suspects.

Azalee Cole, a mall employee, was walking through the mall just after 11 a.m. Feb. 1 when she heard someone yelling about Lee Michael’s being robbed. She looked up and saw the suspects running through the mall. She immediately took off after them and was able to get license plates on two getaway cars.

One of those license plate numbers led Shreveport detectives to a Houston rental car company. From there, Shreveport detectives sought the help of the Houston Police Department, which set up surveillance on the home of the person who leased the vehicle. Houston detectives stopped the vehicle with the suspect inside and arrested George Becks, 31, of Houston. He is believed to have been the person who smashed the glass at Lee Michael’s.

Shreveport detectives went to Houston to interview Becks and obtained an arrest warrant for simple robbery. He is being held in Houston on other charges and will be extradited back to Shreveport to face the local charges. None of the stolen jewelry has been recovered.

Becks is believed to be one of three suspects who took about $300,000 worth of Rolex watches in the Lee Michael’s robbery.

Thanks to information obtained by Cole, detectives learned that the second vehicle used in the robbery had been stolen from Bossier City the day before the robbery. It has since been recovered in the 900 block of Gladstone in Shreveport.

Detectives are continuing their investigation and are optimistic about identifying more suspects.

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View all SPD press releases at www.ci.shreveport.la.us/dept/police/spdnews