The Midland Police Department apprehended four individuals over the weekend for engaging in organized criminal activity after a robbery near Midkiff Road and Wadley Avenue.
Larell Thompson, 21, Dylan Bellesheim, 17, Chelsea Navarette, 22, and a 15-year-old male juvenile were arrested after a brief pursuit following an aggravated robbery reported to police at approximately 11:13 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 30.
The victim of the robbery was dropping off an acquaintance in the 1900 block of Crescent Place when a white Dodge Charger pulled up behind him, blocking the driveway. The victim said that an occupant from the vehicle who was wearing a black mask over his head pointed what appeared to be a small handgun at him, and demanded his wallet. The victim threw his wallet on the ground, which was retrieved by the suspect before running back to the passenger side of the vehicle. The Charger then left the residence and the victim returned to his own vehicle and followed, while a friend in the passenger's seat called 911.
Nearby police heard the broadcast regarding the robbery and found the Charger traveling southbound at a high rate of speed on Greenbriar Drive. Police followed the Charger west on Wadley and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the suspect vehicle continued to accelerate west on Wadley Avenue, weaving between other vehicles. Officers lost sight of the vehicle as the road bent to the north past Loop 250, but found it again on the west side of Stonegate Fellowship Church located at 6000 W. Wadley Ave. The Charger had collided with a dumpster and the suspects had fled the vehicle.
Officers located Navarette hiding on the side of the dumpsters and found the other three suspects crouched in the bed of a pickup truck in the church's parking lot. Police discovered that the Charger had been reported as stolen to the Odessa Police Department, and there were several pieces of evidence found in the vehicle.
All four suspects were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity for the aggravated assault. Thompson faces additional charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle, and Navarette is also facing the charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
###Media Contact: Public Information Officer Sara Higgins