Tuesday night, a week after the triple carjacking-robberies began, Eugene police arrested two suspects on three counts each of first degree kidnapping and second degree robbery.
The men taken into custody Tuesday night are Dustin Ray Thorn, 24, and Shane Edward Staggs, 23.
After reviewing video footage and images captured by ATM surveillance cameras and receiving numerous tips from the public, police identified Thorn and Staggs as possible suspects.
Although the ethnic descriptions of one of the suspects varied in all three accounts, Eugene police detective Dan Braziel said that was because one of the suspects rode in the backseat of the car.
“It’s our belief that these are the two suspects involved in these crimes,” Braziel said at a press conference Wednesday.
Braziel said that when police arrived at the property where they believed they would find Thorn and Staggs, the men were outside the house with several others.
“I think they were surprised the police knew they were at that location,” he said.
After the police identified themselves, Staggs retreated into the house, Braziel said. Staggs remained “barricaded” inside for somewhere between an hour and 90 minutes.
Police were unable to make phone contact with Staggs, Braziel said, but someone on the scene yelled to him from outside and eventually convinced him to come out.
Arraigned Wednesday, the suspects remain in custody. Their charges will be brought before a grand jury and Braziel said he expects an indictment will result.
Police credit the media and the public with actively contributing to the investigation efforts. Braziel said EPD received calls during the day Wednesday after news of the third incident broke.
“Law enforcement is a collaborative effort between the police department and citizens,” he said. “Frankly, there is no possibility this case would have been solved without those calls.”
Chuck Tilby of EPD’s investigations unit said the police’s speed with which they identified and captured the two suspects is a testament to how seriously the community and police took the incidents.
“This is the true definition of a community impact case,” he said. “You could not go into a store or a place where people gather and not hear them discussing the case … Our organization partnered with the press and with the community to bring this case to a swift conclusion.”
Braziel said police have remained in close contact during the search with the three victims, one of whom is a 19-year-old University student.
The detective would not comment on whether the suspects possessed any weapons, as they threatened victims, or how much money the suspects obtained in the robberies.
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Police arrest ATM robbery suspects
Daily Emerald
June 3, 2009
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