Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrests two ‘smash and grab’ suspects

Two men were arrested early Tuesday morning following a burglar alarm at a convenience store on Caldwell Mill Road.

According to the release, this incident was a “smash and grab.” Retail stores that are closed at night are often targets of smash and grabs, the release said, in which suspects break through the front door or back wall, grab bags full of items and quickly leave.

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the alarm around 12:40 a.m. They reportedly saw a man on the side of the building and heard several people running through woods behind the store. The deputies also heard a truck with a loud exhaust crank up and attempt to leave the area, according to a sheriff’s office press release.

Deputies intercepted the truck and arrested the two occupants. Both 44-year-old Birmingham resident Kenneth Lamont Crawford and 43-year-old Decatur resident Carlos Lamar Franklin were arrested and charged with third degree burglary, possession of burglar tools and second degree criminal mischief.

Crawford and Franklin are being held at Shelby County Jail with bond set at $11,000.