Nearly two months after a man suspected of robbing a Marietta Walmart triggered an hourslong police standoff on the side of I-75, he still hasn’t been charged in the alleged theft.
Cobb jail records show Taylor Alexander Smith-Duffy was charged with misdemeanor obstruction for refusing to comply with police orders to exit his vehicle the morning of March 29. But that’s the only charge he faces.
RELATED: Tense I-75 standoff with armed robbery suspect blocks lanes for hours
Police said they’re waiting on the man’s cellphone records before determining whether to pursue additional charges.
Shortly before the standoff snarled the interstate’s southbound lanes during the morning commute, Marietta police responded to an armed robbery at the Walmart near the Big Chicken.
Police said a man entered the store and robbed an employee working behind the customer service counter about 8:30 a.m.
By the time officers arrived, the robbery suspect was gone.
According to Smith-Duffy’s arrest warrant, he and his gray Honda Civic matched the description of that suspect.
But when officers tried to stop him on the interstate, Smith-Duffy refused. He eventually pulled over between Windy Hill Road and I-285 but would not get out his car, telling negotiators he feared he’d be shot.
Guns drawn, SWAT officers eventually swarmed the man’s car and removed him from the vehicle without incident. He was arrested and released the same day on a $1,320 bond, records show.
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Detectives have since subpoenaed Smith-Duffy’s cellphone records to determine where he was at the time of the robbery, Marietta police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy told AJC.com, adding he has still not been ruled out as a suspect in the case.
MORE: Man involved in standoff on I-75 in Cobb charged with obstruction — not armed robbery
“It takes an insanely long time to get phone records back,” McPhilamy said Friday. “Until we have them and can confirm his whereabouts, he has not been cleared as a suspect.”
Police have not said whether cash from the store or a weapon that may have been used in the robbery was recovered from Smith-Duffy’s vehicle.
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