Temple Robbery Suspect Arrested While Leaving Crime Scene

A Temple man is in jail after police caught him fleeing the scene of a robbery while attempting to conceal his face.

Corporal Joe Robertson and Officer Joseph Thomas with Temple PD were patrolling the 600 block of North 3rd St. shortly before 2 AM Monday. As they passed the Cefco convenience store at 605 N. 3rd, they observed a man leaving the store with a towel concealing his face.

Suspicious, the officers turned around and pulled into the business' parking lot, where the suspect was mounting a bicycle. The officers ordered the suspect to stop and put his hands on the wall just as a clerk was exiting the store. While on the phone with 911, the clerk informed the officers that the man had just robbed the store, and the officers handcuffed him.

The suspect was identified as 32-year-old Anthony Antoine Anderson. According to a follow up investigation, Anderson loitered in front of the store for half an hour before entering and, while concealing his face with a towel, began placing various items on the cashier's counter. He then ordered the clerk to empty the cash register, threatening to cut her throat if she did not comply.

The clerk reported hearing a clicking sound from the man's pocket and, suspecting he had a knife, complied with his demands. After the clerk informed Anderson that she could not open the store's vault, he exited the building.

Anderson had a box cutter in this pocket at the time of his arrest. He is currently being held in the Bell County Jail.