After a wild night that began with two store heists, one leaving money strewn across the parking lot of Scotland Crossing, Laurinburg police say they have six people in custody and believe they have solved the robberies that have plagued Laurinburg in recent weeks.

No one was hurt in either robbery, which happened at Food Lion and Precision Hair Design in Laurinburg.

Police Chief John Evans, who personally apprehended four of the suspects, wore a grin as wide as his face as he boasted that his officers have closed a slew of armed robbery cases with the arrests on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

"We've had a crime spree in the city and our officers have worked overtime

they've worked diligently and they have done everything possible under the sun and it has paid off," he said. "I hope this is a sign to these other criminals that we will not stop until we put these people where they belong. We are here for the safety and the comfort of the citizens of the city and we will do everything in our power to make this a safe place to live."

Arrested were:

• Laron Daryl Washington, 27, of 712 Walnut Street, Laurinburg

• Corey Carter, 17, of 318 E. Carver St., Laurinburg

• Octavious Lemar Johnson, 19, 1313B Tara Drive

• Nigel Antwain McKoy, 20, of 20281 Blakely Rd., Laurinburg

• Michael McNeill, 17, of 511 N. Caledonia Rd., Laurinburg

• A 15-year-old from Fayetteville

Carter, Johnson, McNeill, McKoy, and the juvenile were charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, first-degree burglary, second-degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by someone under the age of 21 in the robbery of Precision Hair Design, according to Capt. Kim Monroe. They are being held in Scotland County jail, each under a $500,000 secured bond.

Police believe these five were also responsible for the robberies at the Kangaroo convenience store, Gill Street Quick Stop and Family Dollar.

Washington was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, five counts of kidnapping, four counts of assault by pointing a gun in connection with the Food Lion robbery, Monroe said. He was placed in Scotland County jail under a $150,000 secured bond.

Police do not believe the two robberies from Tuesday are related.

The first robbery was at the Food Lion in Scotland Crossing.

At 10 p.m. on Tuesday, a lone gunman rushed into the store and demanded cash from the cashier, according to Monroe. He then fled from the store with an unspecified amount of cash into a nearby wooded area.

There were at least five people in the store during the robbery.

Monroe credited a quick response with a speedy capture.

"Fortunately, officers where able to respond quickly and form a perimeter around the location in a successful effort to capture the suspect while he was on foot in the wooded area," he said.

Evans described the suspect as running across the parking lot of Scotland Crossing with a plastic Food Lion grocery bag full of money, with cash flying out has he ran from officers.

"I have never seen anything like that before," Evans said.

Police were still on the scene at Food Lion, conducting interviews and collecting evidence, when the call came in at 11:15 p.m. that the Precision Hair Salon had been robbed.

Police say four men entered the store brandishing guns, forcing the lone employee to lie face down on the floor while they stole money from the business. Then they forced the clerk into a bathroom and fled the scene.

The victim described the vehicle and suspects to the police and an all-points bulletin went out to every officer describing the car.

Evans, who returned to duty after his officers called him about the Food Lion robbery, spotted the car on Main Street and immediately turned on his blue lights and stopped the car.

"You do what you have to do," he said.

In addition to arresting Carter, McNeill, McKoy and the juvenile, police seized guns, cash and the car at the stop.

By Wednesday morning, Johnson had also been arrested in connection with the robbery of Precision Hair Design.

Officers quickly tied the group to other crimes in Laurinburg.

"After further investigation, detectives discovered that the same suspects were responsible for multiple break-ins and robberies over the past several months," Monroe said.

Police believe these five were also responsible for the robberies of the Kangaroo convenience store and Gill Street Quick Stop, an earlier robbery at Precision Hair Design and both robberies of Family Dollar, making six total robberies. Police have also linked the group to break-ins at Jessie's Subs, Sally's Beauty Supplies and a Laurinburg residence where cash and guns were stolen.

Charges on these crimes are pending.

Monroe lauded the arrests as evidence of hardworking officers and hopes solving these cases will send a clear signal to would-be law breakers that unlawful actions come with stiff consequences.

"The officers and investigators worked diligently to bring these cases to an end and we commend them for doing a fantastic job," he said. "They have worked around the clock to protect the citizens and the businesses around the city and hopefully, this will be an example to those who continue to break the law.

Mayor Matthew Block thanked Laurinburg police officers for capturing the alleged robbers.

"The Laurinburg police force has acted swiftly and effectively to bring the perpetrators of this recent crime spree to justice," he said. "The police force has taken this personally. No one is going to come into the middle of our town and terrorize our citizens and businesses without being brought to justice. On behalf of the citizens of our City, I commend them for a job well done."

City Manager Ed Burchins also praised the work of local law enforcement.

"Needless to say, I am proud of all of the hard work and efforts put forth by the men and women of our police department," he said. "I think Chief Evans showed some real leadership in urging his police officers to stay on top of these problems and look for ways to halt these problems we've been experiencing in the last three or four weeks. I hope this will put an end to the problems we've been having.

"I also thank the mayor and the city council for providing the resources we needed to keep crime to a minimum in this community."

Detectives seemed fatigued on Wednesday, many of them still sifting through evidence to see what additional charges they could bring on the group after working through the night to close the case on both Tuesday night robberies, but seemed to share Evans excitement with the arrests.

The arrests were definitely a relief to the agency, the police chief said.

"It's like a million pounds has been lifted off my chest," Evans said.