IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Three teenagers who were arrested in Charlotte in a stolen vehicle on Wednesday have been linked to a series of break-ins in Iredell County, police say.
Statesville police received a tip that a vehicle involved in a string of break-ins in Mooresville was spotted at a home on Charles Street. During the search, detectives found evidence they say linked the suspects to a spree of break-ins in Statesville, too.
During an interview with someone at the house, detectives determined one of the suspects was also connected to the robbery of the Food Lion on East Broad Street in Statesville Wednesday morning. According to the Statesville Police Department, a group of masked men confronted a clerk at the Food Lion and strong-armed their way into the cash register before running from the store.
That vehicle, a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, was pulled over by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police after a brief pursuit, Statesville detectives say. Three suspects were taken into custody by CMPD. The vehicle was reported stolen during a breaking and entering at Dunkin Donuts in Troutman in December, police said.
All three suspects were taken to the Alexander County juvenile detention center where they await trial. Two of the suspects are 16 and the other was 17.
The suspects were identified and linked to numerous crimes after a joint investigation by police departments in Statesville, Mooresville, Troutman and Charlotte.
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