Suspect arrested, set to face charges in recent robberies of fast food restaurants
A suspect in five armed robberies in recent weeks, from Lake Wylie to Rock Hill, has been arrested, officials said.
Travis Lamont Gathers, 50, of Rock Hill, was captured by police late Monday at an apartment in Lake Wylie, said York County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Trent Faris.
Gathers is being held at the York County jail awaiting service of arrest warrants from both the sheriff’s office and Rock Hill Police Department, charging him with armed robberies that span from late June to July 19, according to officials with both law enforcement agencies.
Gathers was identified after the most recent armed robbery, Sunday, at a McDonald’s restaurant in Lake Wylie on S.C. 557, Faris said.
A sheriff’s incident report says, in that robbery, Gathers had a knife when he forced the store manager to empty the restaurant’s safe. The report says Gathers fled with the money.
The robbery with a weapon is similar to other robberies with guns in York County and in the city of Rock Hill, officials said. In late June at a Lake Wylie Bojangle’s, employees were forced into a cooler by a suspect with a gun, deputies said. The store was robbed before the suspect escaped, according to deputies.
Other armed robberies with guns were reported July 10 when a suspect robbed the Wendy’s restaurant at 1800 S.C. 160, between Fort Mill and Tega Cay, Faris said. On July 12, there was a robbery at the Wendy’s restaurant, 5188 Charlotte Highway in Lake Wylie, Faris said.
“All these instances together seem to constitute a crime spree,” Faris said.
Faris said $6,350 was taken from the restaurants in the four York County robberies, Faris said.
Rock Hill Police Department Lt. Michael Chavis said Gathers has been charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and possession of a weapon by a felon linked to an incident July 16 at the Wendy’s restaurant on Heckle Boulevard.
Rock Hill detectives are investigating to see if there is any connection with an armed robbery of an Arby’s restaurant in July, Chavis said.
“Our investigation, like the sheriff’s office investigation, remains ongoing,” Chavis said.
Gathers is on parole for a burglary conviction, S.C. Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services records show. His supervision began in November and he was to be on parole through 2022, records state.
Gathers remains at the York County Detention center without bond, jail records show.
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
