A man is accused of robbing the Apple stores in the Avalon and Cumberland Mall last year — even pepper-spraying an employee during one of the incidents.
However, Facebook is the reason he’s now behind bars, police told Channel 2 Action News.
When Martez Hayes, of Newnan, allegedly robbed the two stores in May 2018, he wasn’t wearing a mask or anything to obscure his face, Alpharetta police told Channel 2.
RELATED: Apple store worker pepper-sprayed in failed theft, Alpharetta cops say
This includes when he allegedly pepper-sprayed an employee who was ringing up an iPhone he planned to steal from the Avalon-based store, which was a few days after he allegedly hit the Cumberland Mall electronics store.
“As the employee was busy preparing his order, the suspect actually sprayed him in the face with pepper spray and tried to grab the bad off the counter top and flee the store on foot,” Alpharetta officer Jeff Ross told the news station.
Despite the pain of being pepper-sprayed, the employee was able to prevent the suspect from leaving the store with the phone. Hayes escaped though, and it took investigators a long time to track him down, but they accomplished it Friday, Ross said.
His Facebook profile picture and driver’s license helped authorities arrested him.
“Our detectives worked with (Cobb County) detectives and Apple Loss Prevention and were able to identify him through his Facebook profile due to a distinct scar he had on his lip,” Ross told Channel 2. “He didn’t try to conceal his face during the act, so that really helped us out.”
Hayes remains in jail without bond on charges of battery, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, two counts of theft by shoplifting, obstruction and possessing tools to commit a crime, according to jail records.
He also has active warrants in Richmond and Coweta counties.
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