Officer Phillips was completing his shift in the Central Business District when his police radio indicated there was an armed robbery in progress at the Dollar General, located at 1014 Wade Hampton Blvd. Officer Phillips began heading towards the location when he remembered a robbery call from earlier that day. The suspect from the previous call, which occurred at Gabes 550 Haywood Road, matched the suspect in the Dollar General robbery. While in route, Officer Phillips received update information that the suspects had left the scene and were headed north on 291 in a burgundy, Ford Mustang.

Quick to take initiative, Officer Phillips began to methodically check the area between Wade Hampton Blvd and Rutherford Rd. The trail had yet to provide any clues, but Officer Phillips continued his search. With intuition driving him, Phillips decided to check the shopping center at 2111 North Pleasantburg, which contains both a Family Dollar and a Big Lots.

As he was checking the lot, Officer Phillips observed two suspects, both of whom matched the descriptions from the previous robberies. The suspects spotted Officer Phillips and ran back towards their Mustang. Officer Phillips exited his vehicle and ordered them to stop and get on the ground, but the male suspect jumped into the vehicle and fled. However, Officer Phillips was able to take the female suspect into custody, which led to the subsequent arrest of the male subject and the resolution of several robberies and shopliftings.

Officer Phillips upheld the Greenville Police Department’s mission to prevent crime by locating and arresting the suspects, which disrupted their crime spree and prevented future damage. He also represented the Department’s Core Values by reaching the desired outcome of solving and mitigating complex problems through conscientiousness, high performance, excellence, and attention to public satisfaction and service.

Officer Phillips is a proud military veteran and a member of the GPD SWAT Team.