LaMarcus J. BaileyA 17-year-old student at Ridgeland High School was arrested Thursday after an armed robbery in Walker County.
On Wednesday at about 10:30 a.m., three men in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro pulled up to the Discount Market at 1425 Wilson Road. Two men got out of the car and the driver stayed in the lot.
Video surveillance shows one of the two men stayed outside the store and kept lookout while the other went inside, confronting the clerk with a handgun and demanding money. The clerk gave the man an unknown amount of money in the video, according to Sheriff Steve Wilson.
The two men then got back in the car and headed north on Wilson Road.
On Thursday, detectives working with the Ridgeland High School resource officer identified 17-year-old LaMarcus J. Bailey of Chickamauga as the suspected gunman. Detectives say Bailey, a junior at Ridgeland High, had skipped second period, leaving school at 9:42 a.m. and returning around 11:20.
The Camaro used in the armed robbery was located in the Ridgeland High School parking lot and was determined to be Bailey's vehicle, Wilson said. Detectives also found a handgun under the front seat which was stolen in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 2020.
Bailey was arrested on Thursday and is being charged with armed robbery and possession of a stolen firearm. More charges are pending, Wilson said.
Detectives are working to identify the other two men involved in the armed robbery. Ridgeland High School administrators have worked closely with detectives throughout the investigation.
Tips should be sent to www.walkerso.com or contact Detective Sgt. Walt Hensley at 706-639-0839.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.