RaceTrac Armed Robbery Suspect Indicted On Charges

WOODSTOCK, GA -- A 20-year-old Woodstock resident accused of holding up a convenience store with a shotgun earlier this year has been indicted in connection to the incident. A Cherokee County grand jury this month indicted Travis James Cooper on one count each of armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and misdemeanor theft by taking, court records show.

Cooper is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at 9 a.m. Jan. 9, 2018, in courtroom 2D at the Cherokee County Justice Center.

Officers with the Woodstock Police Department were dispatched around 3:49 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3 at RaceTrac at 331 Olde Rope Mill Park Road. They arrived and met with two employees, who said a man armed with a shotgun came through the front doors and directed one of the employees to the cash register.

The woman said the male, later identified as Cooper, aimed the shotgun at her and "as soon as she made her way to the register, the suspect pointed the shotgun at her face and told her not to look at him and give him all the cash," an incident report from the Woodstock Police Department said.

The woman complied with the suspect's demands, but told police she recognized his voice as belonging to a customer who frequented the store.

Cooper left the premises with $102 in cash, but not before a deputy with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office pumping gas observed him leaving the store. While filling up his vehicle, the deputy said he "saw a person run from the front doors with a shotgun in his hand," according to the report.

"He stated he drew his weapon and shouted 'freeze,' but the suspect continued running," the report states, adding the deputy said he did not have a "safe shot" due to him possibly hitting people inside the store.

Officers canvassed the area and discovered the suspect dropped his cell phone during his getaway. The device as well as the suspect's footprints were found on the grassy area to the east of the store, the report adds. A police K-9 was called to the scene, which was able to track Cooper to the nearby Ridgewalk Apartments.

The suspect was observed running towards the apartments during the track by other officers securing the perimeter. His location was pinned down, and he was taken into custody around 9:21 a.m. by the Cherokee SWAT and other assisting officers.

Cooper remains held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

Image via Cherokee Sheriff's Office