Suspect in possible Hilton Head Island burglary spree arrested in stun-gun incident
A suspected burglar was arrested at the Fiesta Fresh on Hilton Head Island this morning after deputies disabled him using a stun gun.
The suspect is a person of interest in two other recent island burglaries.
A burglar alarm at the business in Port Royal Plaza off Mathews Drive caught the attention of the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office around 2 a.m. Responding deputies found a man carrying a pry bar out the back of the business wearing a ski mask and gloves. According to a Sheriff's Office news release, the man refused to drop the bar when ordered by a deputy, instead heading back into the business. The man smashed the front glass door and ran into the parking lot in the direction of the Bi-Lo grocery store.
A deputy began chasing the suspect, who dropped his black bag in the parking lot. The news release said the man swung at the deputy with his pry bar, hitting the deputy's pistol. He then began to run again, stopping at the front of the Bi-Lo. There, he was ordered "several" more times to drop the pry bar, but he refused. The deputy then shot him with his stun gun, which caused the suspect to drop the pry bar. The man was then arrested.
The Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Alvin Johnson, 58, of Hilton Head Island. The bag is reported to have contained cash in the form of coins and a hammer.
Johnson is charged with second-degree burlgary, second-degree assault and battery and possession of burglary tools. He was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center, the Sheriff's Office said.
Two other burglaries off Mathews Drive between Sunday and Monday are now thought to be the work of the Fiesta Fresh suspect. The Subway and the International House of Pancakes at Northridge Plaza reported burglaries with forced entries similar to what occurred at Fiesta Fresh. Evidence from all three robberies will be sent to the Sheriff's Office's DNA lab.
This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Suspect in possible Hilton Head Island burglary spree arrested in stun-gun incident."