SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Police apprehended 31-year-old Willie Duke on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. following a series of armed robberies that occurred the previous day.
On Saturday at around 1 p.m., officers were dispatched to a reported armed robbery at a business on the 100 block of Walnut Street.
The suspect, who was later identified as Duke, allegedly brandished a firearm and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Within the next hour, Duke is suspected of committing two additional armed robberies at a convenience store on the 400 block of St. James Avenue and another business on the 600 block of State Street.
In both instances, he reportedly escaped with cash after displaying a firearm.
Springfield Police Detectives, collaborating with the Springfield Police Real-Time Analysis Center (R-TAC), gathered intelligence on the suspect and vehicle involved.
At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, crime analysts spotted the vehicle in the Six Corners area.
Officers found the vehicle at a gas station on the 200 block of Hancock Street and initiated a traffic stop.
Duke attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended after a chase in a wooded area on the 100 block of Ashley Street.
Duke, a Springfield resident, is facing three counts of firearm-armed and masked robbery and a charge for failing to stop for police.
