November 15, 2023 – Two men have been arrested and warrants issued for a third for the robbery of an ATM outside a Murfreesboro bank on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Ryan Smith, 25, and Demond Johnson, Jr., 18, both of Houston, Texas, are charged with robbery in concert with two or more persons.
Smith, Johnson, and another man, also of Houston, are accused of robbing an ATM outside Truist Bank on Old Fort Pkwy. while a repairman was working on it around 11:30 a.m. yesterday.
The Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD) Criminal Investigations Division Violent Crimes Unit is investigating the robbery.
Shortly after the robbery, the men were seen unloading a bag from the rear of a black Ford Explorer at the Verizon Store, located at the corner of Medical Center Parkway and N. Thompson Lane. Clothing, ski masks, and gloves believed to have been used in the robbery were found in a nearby dumpster. The Explorer was a rental vehicle.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) successfully captured one of the suspects. Smith was taken into custody after being stopped by RCSO deputies while riding in an Uber on Interstate 24. Deputies held Smith until MPD’s detectives took over the investigation.
RCSO STOP Unit deputies also located a Lyft driver who took the other two robbers to the Nashville International Airport. Johnson was detained by Airport Police and held until MPD detectives arrived. The bag containing the stolen money had already been checked and was intercepted by authorities once it arrived at an airport in Houston, Texas.
The third suspect, who was also dropped off at the Nashville airport by the same Lyft driver, was able to catch a flight to Texas. An outstanding warrant has now been issued for his arrest.
The investigation into the robbery is ongoing.
Smith and Johnson are each being held in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. A court date is set Jan. 23 in Rutherford County General Sessions Court.
Source: Murfreesboro PD
