GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Two women reported abducted from the Birmingham area were located Thursday in a van that police say was used in an armed robbery in Guntersville.
It all started early Thursday morning in Brighton, near Birmingham, when two women known locally for selling water at a neighborhood gas station were approached by two men. The men are accused of stealing the women's van and forcing them inside.
The story then takes a wild turn, and takes the abducted women into Marshall County, nearly an hour and a half away from Brighton.
According to police in Guntersville, officers were called to Griffins Jewelers just before 10:30 a.m. for a reported armed robbery. Witnesses said three people entered the store armed and attempted to rob the store, only to flee when the owner of the store brought out a weapon and fired at the suspects. They reportedly left the scene in a white van heading southbound on Highway 431.
Shortly after that incident, police said they had received a tip that two women who had been reported missing out of Brighton City had been spotted at a Lowe's Home Improvement store, which sits near the jewelry store.
Police responded to the Lowe's and found a van matching the description of the suspect vehicle from the robbery in the parking lot. After performing what police described as a "felony take-down" on the vehicle, officers found the missing women inside the vehicle.
Police have not confirmed any arrests or any possible connection there may be between the two incidents. Guntersville Police listed the Marshall County Major Crime Unit, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, and Albertville Police as having assisted with the investigation.
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