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Durham Police Charge Two Men with Robbing Five Businesses

Durham police investigators have charged two men with committing five armed business robberies within six weeks. The two men – Frankie George Grimes, 23, and Marquize Jerrell Knight, 22, both of Durham – were arrested Thursday night following an armed robbery at a fast food restaurant.

Officers were dispatched to a robbery call at Subway at 2405 Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22. Employees told officers that two men with hoods pulled tight around their faces entered the business, jumped over a counter and demanded money. The men, who were armed with a gun, forced a female employee to the floor, took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled in a car.

A few minutes later, officers responded to a suspicious person with a weapon near the intersection of House Avenue and Chapel Hill Road. Knight and Grimes were arrested on House Avenue. Officers recovered a gun and cash.

Knight and Grimes were also charged with committing the following robberies:

• February 10, Speedway at 803 East Geer Street. - Two males wearing ski masks entered the business shortly after 11:30 p.m. and robbed the business at gunpoint.
• February 11, Kroger at 1802 North Pointe Drive. - Two males entered the store shortly after 5 a.m., pointed guns at two people and took cash.
• March 11, University Market at 1108 West Chapel Hill Street. - Two men entered the business around 10:20 p.m. and robbed the business at gunpoint. An employee was kicked in the head during the robbery.
• March 19, Family Dollar at 2904 Guess Road. - Three males wearing masks entered the store around 10 p.m. and robbed the business and a customer at gunpoint.

Knight and Grimes were both charged with five counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, five counts of conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle. In addition, Knight was charged with one count of larceny of a motor vehicle (charged with taking a vehicle warming up on Stone Village Court on March 11), one additional count of possession of a stolen vehicle and two probation violations. Grimes was placed in Durham County Jail under a $1,030,000 bond and Knight was placed in Durham County Jail under a $1,060,000 bond.