Forsyth gas station theft ends with two arrests

Two men are now behind bars after they allegedly tried to steal from a truck at a gas station in Monroe County. Thanks for joining us. I'm Courtney Bryant. Hello and welcome. I'm Tom Haines. A Georgia State trooper happened to be at that gas station and stepped in before local police arrived. Fox 5's Hernan Gutierrez spoke with Forsyth police who said that they aren't surprised that a trooper was able to step in. Forsyth is the home of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center and local police here tell me that it's not unusual for a large amount of officers from other departments to be in town. Now, the woman in Thursday's robbery was not hurt, but local police tell me she is incredibly lucky that a Georgia State Trooper was here to step in. It's not that crazy for Forsyth. At about 1.30 on Thursday afternoon, Forsyth police say a man got out of an SUV and took a bag of cash from a woman's truck. While she was getting gas at the Marathon on Lee Street, that man was the passenger of the SUV and got back in. The driver then tried to pull off. Investigators say a Georgia state trooper was at the right place at the right time. The trooper was in the parking lot and witnessed the incident. He ran up and was screaming to attempt to get her attention. The bag had more than $13,000 in it. GSP says an off-duty Bibb County deputy stepped in during a brief struggle. To put the passenger under arrest, the trooper received minor injuries. The trooper held onto the side of the truck and was actually dragged around 30 to 40 feet before he pulled his weapon and pointed his weapon at them. Police identified the two men involved as 29-year-old Darius Mickens and 26-year-old Tyjuan Blackman. Lieutenant Barnett says both are from out of town and have had run-ins with police before. She does not believe they knew the victim before they tried to rob her. The customer at the same gas station says he saw a large police presence around that time on Thursday. I counted at least 15 state troopers in the area. He was not surprised the state trooper was able to step in. I bet it was a bit of a blessing to that person for somebody to be right there and available when it happened because most people wouldn't be able to say the same thing. Thursday's ordeal prompting local law enforcement to remind people to lock their cars even if they only plan to step out for a bit. It's holiday shopping season. Let's make sure that we don't leave any valuables sitting out that can be seen inside of our vehicles. Both Mickens and Blackman are at the Monroe County Jail on robbery charges in Forsyth, Hernan Gutierrez, Fox 5 News.