BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Police arrested a Crown Point, Indiana man for allegedly using a BB gun to steal hundreds of dollars from a Dollar General store in Bloomington on Thursday.
Maurice Thomas, 32, is charged with armed robbery, a Level 3 felony, and resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.
The robbery happened at the West Third Street location, according to court documents.
An employee claimed a man, who police later identified as Thomas, approached the register wearing a black hoodie, Chicago Bulls hat, three face masks and carrying a Dollar General bag he grabbed in the store.
"I'll just have this," Thomas allegedly said as he pulled pulled out what looked like a handgun and pointed it at the employee, saying, "Also the money."
The interaction was captured on security cameras, court documents state.
While police were investigating, a separate officer alerted over the radio that a man matching Thomas' description was running away near the IU Credit Union on North Gates Drive.
The officer, court documents state, gave commands for Thomas to stop, but he continued running until tripping and falling to the ground.
Police allegedly found $651 in cash, the Dollar General bag, a black BB gun and a Chicago Bulls hat.
The store employee later allegedly identified Thomas was the man who robbed the store, and, according to court documents, Thomas admitted it was him.
Thomas allegedly told police he had traveled to a Tractor Supply store in Indianapolis earlier that day to buy the BB gun and took a Lyft back to Bloomington, where he walked around for a while before going into Dollar General.
There was no reason the store was the target, court documents state, and Thomas said, "It was just for money."
Thomas is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday, according to online court records.
If convicted, Thomas could face a maximum sentence of 16 years for the Level 3 felony according to Indiana sentencing guidelines.
