Armed Jewelry Store Robbery: 2 Suspects Arrested, Police Say

PHOTO: Suspects William Timothy Franklin IV, 24 and Jasminder Sethi, 26, both of Waldorf, Md.; FCPD photos; photos of Fairfax County Police Chief Roessler Jr. and Captain David M. Smith from Tuesday news conference announcing arrests.

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Fairfax County Police have made two arrests in the jewelry store armed robbery that took place over the weekend at Brookfield Plaza in Springfield, police announced Tuesday morning.

Both suspects are from Waldorf, Md., Col. Edwin Roessler Jr. said.

The suspects are William Timothy Franklin IV, 24, who was arrested in Waldorf; the other suspect, Jasminder Sethi, 26, also of Waldorf, was arrested in New Jersey at the Newark Airport. Both will be transferred to Fairfax County, the police chief said. Police say Sethi was stopped after his name was entered into a national database.

Fairfax County Police received assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Task Force, the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department and the Charles County, Md. Sheriff’s Office.

Franklin was arrested at his home on Monday around 9 p.m., police said. At about the same time, agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection along with officers and the Port Authority Police of New York & New Jersey, arrested Sethi at an airport in Newark.

Felony warrants have been obtained charging Franklin with Robbery and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. A felony warrant has been obtained charging Sethi with Robbery. Both arrestees are awaiting extradition back to Fairfax County.

Roessler Jr, chief of the Fairfax County Police Department and Captain David M. Smith, commander of the Major Crimes Division, held a news conference about the arrest of the two suspects:

A bystander was injured after gunfire was exchanged between a Fairfax County Police officer and a robbery suspect outside a Brookfield Plaza jewelry store (see map below) at 12:22 p.m. Saturday.

The suspect was still at large at 4:15 p.m. Saturday. Described as a black male in his 20s or 30s, the suspect was last seen wearing all brown clothing and a brown hat.

Businesses not involved in the burglary reopened at Brookfield Plaza.

A patrol officer was initially dispatched to the Dubai Jewelry Store. The officer reportedly saw the suspect leaving the store, armed with a handgun, according to Chief Ed Roessler Jr.

"The officer immediately challenged the suspect," Roessler said Saturday. "The suspect immediately opened fire at the officer."

A gun battle ensued. The bystander was driving a vehicle in the background and struck by a round that appeared to be from the suspect. The bystander has life-threatening injuries, according to NBC Washington.

The suspect fled into a getaway car nearby, but was in a crash near Spring Village Drive. The suspect carjacked another vehicle and fled, according to Roessler. The suspect crashed again in the 7600 block of Hooes Road and fled on foot.

Following the wreck, residents in the Hooes Road area had been asked to shelter in place. That request was lifted at 4 p.m.

PHOTO: Shutterstock image