Suspect arrested minutes after bank robbery
Sep. 22—STARKVILLE — An Oktibbeha County man was in custody just minutes after he tried to rob a downtown Starkville bank Tuesday afternoon.
A man walked into the Renasant Bank on East Lampkin Street around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 21. After spending a brief time inside the bank, the suspect demanded money. He then ran from the bank with a bag.
Starkville police spokesman Sgt. Brandon Lovelady said officers converged on the area quickly and began setting up a perimeter. Police found a man matching the suspect's description about three blocks away, near the intersection of Gillespie and Spring Streets.
After a brief investigation, Laquavis Collier, 31 of Starkville, was charged with robbery and later transported to the Oktibbeha County Jail.
"Today marked one of the first bank robberies within the city in a very long time," said Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard. "A credit to the bank employees who trained, took their training seriously, and followed their training as well as the first responding officers and their supervisors. This high level of communication between all parties were critical in the apprehension of the suspect."
If you have information please contact the Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151.
