Lawmen have arrested a patron at the business at the time of the robbery that they believed helped stage the crime.
Investigator George Britt said at 1:45 a.m. Thursday, two men entered the business wearing masks and gloves and brandishing handguns. The business is on Old Wire Road.
"An individual was leaving while they were coming around the corner."
He said the door is kept locked and they would not have been able to enter otherwise. There were six people inside during the robbery.
According to a sheriff's report, the robbers took nearly $4,000 in cash, of which about $3,800 came from the register, two cell phones, a pocket book, a $300 food stamp card and a $200 WIC voucher. They left in a stolen Nissan Sentra that had belonged to one of the customers, according to deputies.
Britt said they arrested a man they believe was an accomplice.
A sheriff's report said Tyquan Sanchez Scriven, 23, of Old Milk Dairy Road in Red Springs, was arrested at the scene and charged with three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon.
He is in Scotland County jail under a $100,000 secured bond.
Britt said Scriven acted suspiciously throughout the crime and investigation. He was the man who left the building as the two men were coming in. He also happened to be on his cell phone at the time. His cell phone was one of the two taken in the robbery, a fact Britt called "convenient."
Britt said it appeared as though Scriven let the two men in.
Britt said Scriven did not seem to be coerced to reenter the business – he actually followed the men in. He also sat down "casually" in front of one of the machines.
Also, while he gave his cell phone to the robbers, he did not hand over his wallet like the others.
The clerk also told the investigator that Scriven had never been in the business before and had asked a lot of questions about the business, including when it closed. Scriven also apparently left after playing for 30 minutes to an hour, and then returned about 10 or 15 minutes before the robbery.
Britt said investigators are still looking for two men in the robbery. They had few details on the robbers because of the masks. One appeared to be either white or American Indian and had blue eyes while the other man was black.
Diamonds was raided earlier this year by the sheriff's department. Investigators say they removed several illegal gaming machines, a fact the owner has contested.
If you have any information on this robbery, contact the Scotland County Sheriff's Office at 276-3385 or anonymously report your tip to Scotland Crime Stoppers at 291-3333.
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