Police chase leads to arrest of Walmart robbers

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An attempt by two men to steal six laptop computers from the Hudson Walmart store early Thursday morning ended with a police chase into Minnesota and the arrest of the two suspects.

Amil H. Clayton, 38, Horicon, and Rickey L. Collins, 37, Madison, are being held in the Ramsey County, Minn., jail awaiting charges.

Hudson Police Chief Marty Jensen said Clayton and Collins entered the Walmart store at about 3 a.m. and broke into a case in the electronic department holding laptop computers.

The store is open 24 hours a day.

Jensen said the men put five of the computers inside a small filing cabinet and one inside a box for a bar stool.

They then allegedly went to the checkout and paid for the filing cabinet and bar stool (later found in a store aisle).

As the men approached the store's exit doors, an alarm system sounded because the security tags inside the laptop boxes hadn’t been deactivated.

Jensen said a store employee stopped the men to question them and, looking inside the bar stool box, saw the computer hidden there.

The employee reportedly retrieved that computer, but when he tried to look inside the filing cabinet, one of the men wrestled it away from him and the suspects ran out the door.

Store employees saw the men leave in a dark-colored SUV.

The Hudson police were notified and an officer went to I-94 Exit 1. When the suspects’ vehicle passed by, the officer gave chase, soon joined by Minnesota authorities.

The suspects exited I-94 at Radio Drive. They led authorities on a winding route through Woodbury, Oakdale and into Maplewood, where police were able to stop the vehicle.

Jensen said Collins got out of the SUV and ran, but Hudson police officers apprehended him. Clayton, the driver, remained in the vehicle, Jensen said.

The SUV was registered to Elite Auto Sales of Juneau, a small city about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee.

Jensen said the vehicle hadn’t been reported stolen. He indicated that it was possible that it was stolen, but the owner hadn’t discovered it missing yet.

Tags: crime and courts, local news, hudson, police, chase