Police arrested two men suspected of beating up a woman at a Highway 58 laundromat and stealing her car Tuesday night, Chattanooga police say.
The woman was folding clothes at the Highway 58 Coin Laundry when two men came in at 11:45 p.m., according to a police news release. One man hit the victim in the face and demanded her keys, and the two males drove off in her Chevy Trailblazer.
Early Wednesday police were called to the Shepherd Recreation Center on Shepherd Road concerning "suspicious items" dumped in the parking lot, the release said. It is "possible" the items were related to the Highway 58 robbery.
While at the rec center, police saw a vehicle matching the Trailblazer's description driving by and began to follow it. The driver sped away toward Shallowford Road but failed to make the turn. The vehicle jumped the curb and hit a tree and two parked cars.
The driver and another person jumped out and ran but were caught quickly, the release stated. Police found a firearm during the arrest. Neither person was injured.
Now investigators are trying to decide if the two in the Trailblazer - Austin Bumpass, 19, and a juvenile male - are connected to the robbery, the release stated.
Police ask anyone with information regarding this incident to call 423-698-2525.