The Tucson Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals and the Auto Theft Task Force, arrested a serial armed robber and an accomplice early Wednesday morning.
On August 21, 2016, around 6:10 a.m., officers from Operations Division Midtown responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Circle K convenience store located at 2750 N. Tucson Blvd. Upon arrival, officers learned an adult male entered the store and asked the clerk for several packs of cigarettes. When the clerk rang up the purchase, the male stated he had a gun and demanded the money from the register. The male was given the cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of money. He fled the scene and was not located. The male was described as a Hispanic or African American male, 25 to 35 years of age, approximately 5’5” – 5’7” and 150 – 170 pounds.
Detectives from the Tucson Police Department Robbery Unit began working the case. They obtained surveillance photographs of the suspect and those photographs were released to media outlets and disbursed through social media. Shortly thereafter, the detectives received a tip identifying a possible suspect. Through the information provided and additional follow-up, they were able to identify the suspect as 33-year-old Jamar Roshaun Atkins. The detectives obtained a felony Armed Robbery arrest warrant for Mr. Atkins. Throughout the course of their continued investigation, detectives were able to determine Mr. Atkins was a suspect in over fifteen additional cases beginning in late July 2016.
Members from the K-9 Unit, SWAT, Operations Division West, Operations Division Midtown, Tucson Real-time Analytical Crime Center (TRACC), Air Unit, Auto Theft Task Force and the U.S. Marshals worked together tirelessly to locate and apprehend Mr. Atkins. In the early morning hours of July 7, 2016 they were able to locate Mr. Atkins at an apartment in the 3700 block of E. Bellevue St. He surrendered to officers without incident. In addition to Mr. Atkins, an adult female identified as an accomplice was also located and arrested. She has been identified as 28-year-old Melissa Rose Harmsen. Mr. Atkins was arrested on the felony Armed Robbery Warrant along with an outstanding Department of Corrections Parole Violation Warrant. Ms. Harmsen was arrested for Facilitation to commit Armed Robbery. They were both transported and booked into the Pima County Jail.
The detectives are continuing this investigation and additional charges may be added at a later date. They are again asking anyone with information related to the investigation to call 88-CRIME (520-882-7463), you can remain anonymous.