Quick Response by Officers Leads to Apprehension of Armed Gas Station Robber

Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Early this morning around 1:20 a.m., Mt. Juliet Police Officers were summoned to the Daily’s convenience store, located at 88 N. Mt. Juliet Road, to investigate an armed robbery that had just occurred. Officers determined that a white male pulled up to a gas pump in a blue sedan, and he entered the store wearing a ski mask and holding a handgun. The robber pointed the gun at the clerk and demanded the clerk to put cash into a black bag. Leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, the robber fled the scene in his car.

Responding Mt. Juliet Police Officers quickly relayed the robber’s vehicle description to nearby agencies in an effort to capture the offender. Officers with the Lebanon Police Department spotted and stopped the suspected robber’s vehicle on Interstate 40 eastbound in their city. The driver gave consent for officers to search his vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of a black M92 9mm replica BB handgun. Mt. Juliet Police investigators responded to the traffic stop, and a detective obtained a confession from the suspected robber, identified as Zachary Phillips, 24, of Hendersonville. He was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail on a $40,000 bond, charged with Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Theft of Property. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 24, 2014.

“The quick action of vigilant officers led to the quick apprehension of the armed robbery suspect,” stated Police Chief James Hambrick. “I’m thankful of our close, working relationship with Lebanon Police Department and quick response by their officers.”

Zachary Phillips, 24, of Hendersonville

Zachary Phillips, 24, of Hendersonville

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