RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Surveillance video often helps police solve crimes. Sometimes an image or video can jog the memory of someone watching television at home to tip police off.
But Wednesday night, none of that was necessary: detectives had an identifying clue that made the suspect somewhat easy to find.
First the 7-11 off Jeff Davis Highway near Terminal Avenue. "I saw a couple of police cars pull up so I figured something happened,” said Kye Lee, a manager of a business on Jeff Davis.
Hours later, there was a robbery at the McDonald’s on Forest Avenue. In both cases police say a man walks in tells employees he has a weapon and demands cash.
But police don’t think suspect Daniel Randolph spent too much time thinking about what he’d wear Wednesday night, adding his clothing provided a clue that was too obvious not to follow: his shirt. "[He] could've gotten it from Goodwill or another clothing store," said Richmond Police Lt. William Kelly.
But detectives from Richmond’s Second and Third Precincts hit the ground running and came up with a name in just a few hours. “These guys canvassed every city agency until they found someone who could identify him," said Kelly.
The smoking gun in this case was a City of Richmond shirt. Police won’t say which department, but confirm Randolph is a former city employee.
“One City, Our City” might be the Richmond motto, but police say the Chesterfield resident quickly learned it doesn’t wear well in suspect photos. Now he’s accused of robberies at 7-11 and McDonald’s, and you might say, in some supersized trouble.
"Good old fashioned police work helped put this one to bed," said Kelly.
