Birmingham

Teens robbed at gunpoint in parking structure

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

BIRMINGHAM — Four teenagers were robbed at gunpoint after midnight Aug. 21 inside the Park Street parking structure, 333 Park St.

Two teens walking from the Uptown Palladium to the structure to meet up with two friends who were waiting for them in a car were approached by two black males. One of the teens inside the car locked the doors as he saw the suspects approach.

Birmingham Police Cmdr. Terry Kiernan said the suspects put guns to the heads of the two teens outside the car and ordered them to the ground. The suspects then allegedly patted the victims down, but didn’t find anything of value.

“Then the one guy taps on the window and tells the guy to open the car, so the guy (in the car) reaches down like he is going for a gun, and the suspects run,” he said.

The two suspects were caught on surveillance camera running down Hamilton while turning their shirts inside out. Police described one of the suspects as a light-skinned black male, 6 feet tall, with a medium build and fuzzy, shoulder-length braids. He was wearing dark clothes with white lettering. Police described the second suspect as a black male with a medium complexion, who was 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a thin build. The second suspect was wearing dark clothes and a bandana with a hat over it, pulled down low over his face.

Police said it was possible that two other suspects, also black males, were standing farther away acting as lookouts. “We’re not sure if the other two were involved or not,” Kiernan said.

Although there were no other related robberies reported that evening, this is the fourth armed robbery that has occurred in Birmingham in the past few months.

In July, two males, described as black, robbed a homeowner in the 500 block of Riverstone at gunpoint after he answered his door around 1 p.m. After stealing $100 in cash and other items from the man, the suspects asked him to close the door and immediately fled the scene in a 2003-2006 white Jeep Cherokee with chrome wheels that was parked just down the street.

In April , a teenager with a gun allegedly walked up to three teen males and demanded everything in their pockets at approximately 9:20 p.m. in Booth Park. After finding out that the teens had nothing but an empty wallet, the suspect threw the wallet to the ground and walked westbound on Harmon along with two other suspects. A K-9 track led police through some backyards to the rear of the park, near Willits, where the dog lost the track. Police believe the three suspects to be the same teenagers, described by police as Hispanic, who allegedly robbed four teens at gunpoint in March at 10:50 p.m. in Booth Park. Police said the suspects took $9 in cash and two cell phones from the teens.

Kiernan said police do not believe the most recent armed robbery incident to be related to any of the others.

“They don’t have anything in common. The suspects are different and it’s just entirely different,” he said.

Kiernan also noted that in the 30 years he has worked in Birmingham there have only been a handful of confrontational crime incidents in the city’s five parking structures.

“It’s not a common occurrence,” he said.

As always, police warn residents and visitors to be aware of their surroundings and to report anything suspicious to police.

“We always tell people when going into a parking lot to take a look around, and if they see someone suspicious hanging around don’t go to your car, go to a public area and give us a call and we will come check it out,” Kiernan said.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call police at (248) 530-1867.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.