Days after a traffic stop connected to an armed robbery at a Walmart turned into an hours-long SWAT standoff on I-75 in Cobb County, Marietta police have released photos of the person they say triggered the entire incident.
Surveillance photos show a man authorities said robbed the Walmart on Cobb Parkway on Friday and then ran away before officers arrived.
A victim gave police a description of the robber, and officers viewed footage and determined the man left in a gray Honda Civic, police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said.
MORE: Man involved in standoff on I-75 in Cobb charged with obstruction — not armed robbery
“A short time later, a Marietta officer located a vehicle fitting the description and determined that the male driver matched the description of the suspect in the robbery,” McPhilamy told AJC.com soon after the incident.
Credit: Marietta Police Department
Credit: Marietta Police Department
That car was driven by Taylor Alexander Smith-Duffy, 25, of Covington.
An officer tried to stop Smith-Duffy on I-75. Police said he did not immediately stop, but he eventually pulled over between Windy Hill Road and I-285. Officers closed the southbound lanes about 9:30 a.m.
Officers didn’t approach the car, believing the driver was armed. Police gave the man verbal commands to get out of the Civic, but he did not comply, McPhilamy said at the time.
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
For the better part of two hours, officers with multiple agencies trained their guns on the vehicle while negotiators spoke with Smith-Duffy off-and-on by phone.
The driver told negotiators he would not get out of the car for fear of being shot, Channel 2 Action News reported. It did not appear any weapons were fired.
RELATED: Tense I-75 standoff with armed robbery suspect blocks lanes for hours
Smith-Duffy was taken into custody on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction stemming from the incident, McPhilamy told AJC.com.
He has not been charged with the armed robbery. Police said he is only a “person of interest” in the case.
“Detectives are still conducting their investigation to make a determination if he was involved in the robbery,” McPhilamy said.
Once the standoff ended and he was removed from his car, Smith-Duffy was taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation and then booked into the Cobb County jail. He was released Friday on a $1,320 bond.
Anyone with information related to the robbery is urged to contact Marietta police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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