Man charged after robbery leads to high-speed chase, crash

JACKSON, Tenn. — A bizarre Christmas Day robbery led to a high-speed chase and crash.

Police say 33-year-old Randall Cowan walked into the Little General around 9:30 a.m. on Christmas.

According to witnesses, Cowan appeared intoxicated.

“(He) made the statement to the young lady that was working the counter ‘I hate Christmas,’ bought some beer, stole shots of something off the counter, and left,” Sharon Police Chief Ricky Cobb said.

Police say Cowan came back to the store about five minutes later in the same clothes. But this time, he had his hood up and a pistol in his hand, demanding money.

Cobb says Cowan then pointed the gun at multiple people before leaving in his car with money from the cash register.

Officers who responded quickly realized who the suspect was, thanks to surveillance footage.

“He had actually done an intake on a suspect. That’s how we were able to identify him,” Cobb said.

Weakley County sheriff’s deputies then went to his last known location.

“As he was approaching the road to the father’s house, he got behind the vehicle. Once he activated his lights, the boy fled. Then, the boy later wrecked on Ester Levee Road. When we arrived on the scene, he was pretty much unconscious,” Cobb said.

Cowan was taken by a medical helicopter to Memphis for treatment of injuries he received in the crash.

Investigators recovered the money that was stolen, along with the clothes worn in the robbery.

They later found the gun, which was determined to be a pellet pistol, at Cowan’s father’s house.

“He was actually picked up yesterday by Officer Harris, and he’s now currently incarcerated in Weakley County Detention Center,” Cobb said. “Thankfully everybody was in the right place at the right time. It all worked out.”

Sharon police have charged Cowan with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and theft of property.

He is also facing charges with the Weakley County Sheriff’s Office of evading arrest and driving under the influence.