Cary police investigate robbery, wreck

Cary, N.C. — The suspects in a robbery were taken to WakeMed Monday after an automobile wreck foiled their getaway, a Cary police spokesman said.

According to police, the suspects used their vehicle to hit Alexander Paul Jr., 66, in the parking lot of a Wachovia bank on High House Road. When he fell, they grabbed the money bag he was carrying and took off. Paul was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.

Capt. Kenny Williams said a quick thinking bystander, who saw the suspects change vehicles after the crime, called 911.

“It was extremely important that the citizen watched and observed those two individuals switch vehicles. Possibly without that information … we may not have captured those two individuals as fast as we did,” Williams said.

After about two miles, the suspects hit another car on Chapel Hill Road near Weston Parkway.

Both suspects were injured in the collision and were taken to WakeMed.

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“The police think they were just waiting for someone who looked like a good picking,” Paul said.

Paul, a church deacon, suffered bruises and a twisted ankle. He says divine intervention kept the hit from being much worse.

“The Lord worked it out to protect me first, and he worked it out for them to be caught. And I’m thankful for that,” he said.

Shawn McRae, 35, of Durham faces several felony charges. He was being held in the Wake County Jail under a $500,000 bond.

The other suspect was still in the hospital Monday evening. Police haven't released that person's name or condition.

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