Couple accused of stealing from Gwinnett Belk store, using Taser on security guard
Snellville GA October 12 2019
A Gwinnett County couple are behind bars after allegedly shoplifting merchandise from a Belk in Snellville and then using a Taser on a security guard who tried to stop them.
Police report that Donya Butler and her boyfriend Trenton Collins, both 18, were arrested Monday after the incident at the Scenic Highway shopping center.
Police said the store’s loss prevention officer witnessed the duo pocket a package of men’s underwear and a jacket.
When they were confronted as they tried to leave the store, Butler allegedly pulled out a pink Taser and zapped the employee in the back.
Surveillance footage from the department store appears to show the security guard confront Butler and Collins in the store’s entryway.
The confrontation then turns physical as the suspects try to leave.
The couple were pulled over by Snellville police a few blocks from the store, police said.
That’s when officers discovered even more clothes believed to have been taken from other stores, authorities said. Police also discovered a pink Taser in Butler’s door.
In dash camera footage obtained by Channel 2, the suspects appeared to cover for each other as they were arrested.
“It was all me, officer,” Collins can be heard saying.
“She didn’t do anything wrong.”Both Collins and Butler were charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault, Gwinnett County jail records show.
They are being held without bond as police look into reports of additional thefts at nearby stores, authorities said.
AJC
