JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dollar General said it's "committed to providing a safe environment for employees and customers" after four people were arrested for "targeted" armed robberies at stores in Jacksonville.
Surveillance and police videos were released Tuesday following a string of armed robberies at Dollar General stores across Jacksonville, one of which led to an officer shooting at the suspects, police said.
Four people are now facing charges. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said there were four robberies and investigators noticed a pattern to them.
Waters said during each robbery, suspects would rush up to store employees as they were leaving after closing and force them back inside at gunpoint to the store's safe, where the suspects would steal a few thousand dollars.
Tresonda Benefield, 24, Nathanial Carter, 23, Jakeithiyan Daniel, 24, and Jackeri Lewis, 26, were arrested.
Surveillance video shows multiple people with guns, masks and gloves lead employees inside Dollar General at gunpoint and get into what appears to be a safe.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office took the four into custody following what police say was their fourth robbery, at a Dollar General store on North Main Street across from Andrew Jackson High School. Police say an officer fired a shot at the suspects, which hit their vehicle, though no one was hurt.
“They target the Dollar General or places like that because they know that the majority of people that go in there handle cash,” said First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson.
Jefferson said if you’re ever in a situation where someone is trying to rob you, "Don’t try to be a hero."
“Give them what they want but while you’re giving it to them, take a good look at them," Jefferson said. "Don’t stare at them, they don’t like that. Take a good look at them so you can give a clothing description, height, approximate weight, hair color, eye color and the direction that they ran into or drove off of.”
During the investigation, Waters said JSO told Dollar General stores to warn their employees about the string of armed robberies.
This includes employees at a Dollar General on Kings Road where a racist gunman killed three Black people last August. Attorney John Phillips represents the family of Angela Carr, one of the victims, and is fighting for more security at Dollar General stores.
“The reaction by Dollar General corporate management was to just write, ‘We remember’ on bags and to rebrand the store," Phillips said. "That doesn’t solve the security risk which we’re seeing happen over and over again in Jacksonville.”
First Coast News reached out to Dollar General to request an interview, ask for the company's response, and ask what type of security measures were put in place after JSO warned them about the robberies.
Dollar General's corporate public relations sent the following statement:
"Dollar General is committed to providing a safe environment for employees and customers. We have invested in various security measures based on store-specific considerations. To protect the integrity of these measures, we do not publicly comment on their details. Additionally, we appreciate our ongoing and collaborative partnership with Jacksonville authorities."
First Coast News then asked if they could confirm whether security changes were made after JSO's warning, but the company has not yet responded.