A man was robbed at gunpoint after meeting a woman in the Greenway View Drive Walmart parking lot to buy a pitbull puppy in mid-April. Chattanooga police found and arrested the two suspects last week.
The man told police he was meeting "NBA Blondii," later identified as Bionca Buchanan, to buy a $1,500 puppy on April 16, Hamilton County court records state. A friend of his referred him to her.
They met in the Walmart parking lot, and the man got into Buchanan's front passenger seat to discuss business, court records show.
The victim told police he was in the car for about one minute when a man, later identified as Melvin Owens Jr., got into the back seat and pointed a gun to his face, demanding all $1,500.
"Fearing for his safety, [the victim] gave him the money," according to court records.
Owens then fled.
The victim told police it seemed like Buchanan was "in on it," because Owens didn't take anything from her, and she said she knew him, but wouldn't say who he was. The victim had also seen Owens on Buchanan's Snapchat before.
Buchanan, the victim and a woman who rode with him to pick up the puppy got into an argument and Buchanan left.
Two days later on April 18, police arrested Buchanan for participating in the robbery. Owens was in the vehicle when Buchanan was arrested, but he ran away and was not apprehended.
Buchanan was charged with aggravated robbery. Owens was eventually arrested on May 1.
He is charged with aggravated robbery, drugs general category for resale, evading arrest and failure to appear.
He is being held in the Hamilton County Jail on no bond.
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