After an armed robbery took place at Depot Park Dec. 3, 20-year-old Tases Mills, 19-year-old Madrek Nobles and a minor were taken into custody.
At about 11:45 p.m. on Friday, two women called the Gainesville Police Department saying they had been approached by two men carrying handguns while walking through the park, located at 874 SE 4 St.
Mills and the minor ordered the women to hand over their belongings. The women gave them their cell phones and the car keys of a third person who wasn’t there at the time. The men fled and met up with the third male, Nobles, who was standing nearby and drove off in the car belonging to the womens’ friend.
Forty minutes later, the stolen SUV was located on I-75 using the car’s OnStar system, which took control of the car and slowed it down to a complete stop near Northwest 39th Avenue.
The trio fled on foot before they were captured with the aid of a K-9 unit. Nobles remained in the car and was present when law enforcement arrived.
Mills and Nobles were charged with two counts of armed robbery and one count of grand theft auto. The charges for the minor are not public.
GPD spokesperson Graham Glover said while these incidents aren’t frequent at Depot Park, people should be aware in any open areas where they are alone or where there are fewer people.
Glover said if people find themselves in an armed robbery incident, they need to understand the situation they’re in and prioritize their safety above all else.
“First of all, we want you to be safe,” he said. “Don't do anything that could jeopardize your physical safety.”
Glover said people should contact law enforcement as quickly as possible so the incident can be reported and officers can respond.
Contact Bryce at bbrown@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @brycebrownnn.
Bryce Brown is a third-year journalism major and copy editor for The Alligator. He has previously worked as a metro general assignment reporter on the Metro desk and as staff writer for The Avenue. When he's not fretting over deadlines, you can find him drinking copious amounts of black iced coffee and listening to Lana Del Rey.
