Chandler robbery suspect practically delivers himself to police

PHOENIX – An East Valley suspect’s post-robbery detour through a McDonald’s parking lot this weekend led him straight to jail.

Around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, the clerk at the Circle K on the southeast corner of Ray Road and Priest Drive in Chandler reported an armed robbery, according to court documents.

Three Chandler officers investigating a possible DUI in the parking lot of the 24-hour McDonald’s across the street heard the call about a white sedan wanted in the robbery.

The vehicle then appeared in the McDonald’s parking lot, and officers immediately took the passenger, 35-year-old Kpou Sawi Armstrong, into custody.

Armstrong’s girlfriend, who was driving the car, said she didn’t know he was planning to rob the convenience store until he came running out of it, according to the probable cause statement. She said she drove through the McDonald’s parking lot while heading back to their nearby apartment.

Police found a backpack in the car containing the reported stolen goods – about $200 in cash and $75 worth of cigarettes – along with a BB gun.

Armstrong also was allegedly carrying a fanny pack that contained marijuana, drug paraphernalia and his driver’s license.

The store clerk was unable to provide 100% verification that Armstrong was the suspected robber, but police made a positive identification using surveillance footage.

Armstrong denied going into the Circle K after being read his rights, but he stopped talking to police when they showed him the footage.

He was booked on armed robbery and drug charges.

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