Marquis Harrell is behind bars after being connected to a series of robberies overnight that were reported back-to-back while detectives were still investigating.
The long night for law enforcement in Northern Virginia began at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, when a clerk at 7-Eleven in the 10300 block of Patriot Highway was targeted by an armed man who demanded money and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office, while deputies were investigating that robbery, a second 911 call came in at around 12:30 a.m. from a second 7-Eleven, this time in the 5900 block of Harrison Road, where a suspect again demanded money and fled on foot.
As those two investigations were ongoing, a third robbery at another convenience store in Fredericksburg matching the description of the 7-Eleven robberies was reported.
Harrell was tracked to a third 7-Eleven on Solomon Drive in Stafford County following the Fredericksburg robbery, where he was identified as a suspect and taken into custody.
A spokesperson for the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said that witnesses spotted Harrell at the fuel pumps, where he was loitering before getting out.
The suspicious man was checked and found to be sporting a bulletproof vest under his jacket.
According to officials he was also in possession of the clothing from the robbery, a large wad of cash and a loaded firearm were recovered from the vehicle.
Harrell was charged in Spotsylvania with:
Brandishing a firearm;
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
- Use of a firearm during the commission of a felony;
- Armed robbery.
In Stafford, he was additionally charged with concealed weapon and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was also linked to two thefts of alcohol from the ABC Store on Village Parkway on consecutive days earlier this week.
He is also facing charges in other jurisdictions. Additional charges are also pending as the investigation continues.
Harrell was held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
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