Two arrested for string of Waffle House robberies across North Texas

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Two men are behind bars accused of a string of armed robberies targeting Waffle House restaurants.

Fort Worth police say Justanity Johnson and Xavier Parham, both 18, were arrested early Monday morning by Grand Prairie officers. They're accused of robbing four Waffle Houses restaurants in Fort Worth, Roanoke and Saginaw—all within 80 minutes. Police say the suspects might be connected to more.

The armed robbers covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time. But all it took was some alert officers to bring it to an end.

The crime spree started at about 12:30 a.m. Monday at the Waffle House on Oakland Boulevard near I-30 in Fort Worth. Surveillance video captured the men barging gun first into the restaurant. Customers were ushered aside as they demand cash and left with the register drawer in seconds.

Police say the robbers’ next stop just minutes later was at the Waffle House location on Alta Mere Boulevard in Fort Worth. A short time later, police say they turned up in Saginaw and Roanoke to rob the Waffle House locations there.

“We are not sure of the reason why Waffle House was specifically targeted other than the fact that it’s a 240hour operation and open all hours of the night,” explained Brian Raynsford with the Fort Worth Police Department.

At about 2 a.m. after seeing a BOLO for a black Ford Mustang the suspects were last seen driving, alert Grand Prairie police officers spotted the vehicle near Avenue K and Highway 360 and pulled them over in a what’s described as a routine stop. The two men were taken into custody without incident.

Police say their getaway car, the Ford Mustang, was reported stolen.

Both Johnson and Parham are now charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Police are talking with neighboring cities to see if they can tie the men to similar robberies over the last couple of weeks.