INDIANA — An 18-year-old woman has been arrested following a string of robberies at Fort Wayne businesses, police said.
According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, officers initially responded around 5 p.m. on Feb. 4 to an armed robbery at Khai’s Fusion, an Asian restaurant on East State Boulevard. Police said a customer ordered a meal without paying and, when confronted by the owner, allegedly used pepper spray before fleeing.
Investigators with the department’s Street Crimes Unit later identified 18-year-old Riyana Monique Harris as a suspect, along with an unnamed juvenile.
Weeks later, detectives spotted Harris on Tuesday and conducted a traffic stop in a neighborhood east of downtown Fort Wayne. Police said a juvenile passenger in the vehicle was also a suspect in an unrelated theft investigation.
During the stop, officers reported seeing marijuana in plain view, giving them probable cause to search the vehicle. According to police, they discovered a large quantity of suspected stolen merchandise from multiple Fort Wayne retail stores, including Valentine’s Day items, dog treats and toys, clothing and body care products.
Harris was booked into the Allen County Jail on preliminary charges of criminal trespassing and felony armed robbery resulting in serious injury.
The juvenile was taken to the Allen County Juvenile Center and faces charges of theft and criminal trespassing, police said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
