Suspect Charged In Roswell Smash And Grab Burglary

ROSWELL, GA -- The man accused of burglarizing a Roswell pawn shop early Thursday morning was captured after police heard him moving around inside the establishment's ceiling. That's according to an incident report released Friday morning by the Roswell Police Department.

Several officers were dispatched to an alarm call around 4:09 a.m. Oct.5 at Roswell Pawn & Jewelry at 615 Alpharetta Highway. 911 dispatchers told officers that the alarm company reported "banging noises" were picked up from surveillance audio devices inside the pawn shop.

Once on the scene, cops noticed a glass door to the shop was broken and an interior light was switched on in the backroom. Officers continued to hear banging noises from inside the business, which was determined to be coming from the ceiling (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

A perimeter was established around the shop as well as the complex, and the officers -- which now consisted of Roswell police as well as the North Fulton SWAT Team -- began to stage themselves at various locations around the complex. Officers made loud commands for the subject to come out of hiding, but they continued to hear loud banging noises inside the ceiling, the report contends.

Those noises, the report added, changed locations and could now be heard coming from the barber shop next to the pawn shop. Officers moved inside the barber shop and began to search round the business for any signs of the male subject.

"While clearing the floor, entering officers observed a make shift stair case which led (to) the ceiling where ceiling tiles had been moved," the report added.

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Inside the pawn shop, officers noticed a glass case displaying four handguns was broken and at least one of the firearms was missing. A black garbage bag was observed by another officer on the scene contained a gaming system, remote controls to that console and a small silver handgun, which was determined to the firearm missing from the case.

The suspect in the case, identified as Michael William Pierce, Jr. 31, was eventually taken into custody. Fulton County Jail records show he was charged by Roswell police with felony smash and grab burglary. He was booked into the facility on Oct. 5 where he remains. Spokesperson Lisa Holland said Roswell police continue to investigate the incident with the focus on locating a second suspect.

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