ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997 TAG: 9704100033
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI
Man held at gunpoint in Roanoke
A 27-year-old man was held at gunpoint by three other men outside a Northwest Roanoke home early Wednesday.
Shortly after midnight, three men approached Alvin Harris as he sat on his girlfriend's porch in the 2700 block of Massachusetts Avenue, police said. The men demanded money, and one of them held a 9mm handgun to Harris' mouth. Harris fought the men and grabbed the gun, throwing it into a side yard.
Police said the three men fled in a red station wagon with West Virginia license plates. Officers recovered the handgun from the crime scene. Harris told police he believed the men were looking for a former resident of the home, according to a news release.
Police name suspect in Shoney's robbery
Roanoke police on Wednesday released the name of the 36-year-old Lexington man charged with robbing a Northwest Roanoke Shoney's restaurant. Rufus Franklin Childs remained in the Roanoke City Jail on Wednesday, unable to post a $10,000 bond.
Police said the restaurant at 1344 Hershberger Road was robbed about 9:37 p.m. Tuesday by a man who grabbed cash from the register. The man fled in a pickup truck. When officers tried to stop the truck, the man accelerated, leading officers on a short pursuit through Northwest Roanoke.
The truck hit a tree on Oakland Boulevard. The driver, who later was identified as Childs, tried unsuccessfully to flee on foot.
Police said Childs is a former employee of the restaurant.
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