Authorities: Man dressed as Apex officer robbed Greenville pawn shop, shot owner

The Pitt County Sheriff's Office identified the suspected robber as Raekwon Ortiz Snipes, 22. He was arrested Thursday at a Greenville apartment complex and was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, impersonating a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Jolly’s Pawn Shop, at 108 Pactolus Highway, was held up shortly after 2 p.m. Owner Mark Forster was able to call 911 after being shot to report the robbery, authorities said. His condition was unknown Thursday.

An Apex police officer's personal vehicle was broken into outside his Raleigh home during the night of Jan. 14-15, and his Apex Police Department jacket and hat were stolen, Apex police Capt. Ann Stephens said in a news release. No police badges or other markings were taken, she said.

The gun used in the robbery doesn't belong to the Apex Police Department or the officer, Stephens said.

Snipes isn't from the Greenville area, and he has outstanding warrants from Orange County charging him with financial crimes, NBC affiliate WITN reports.

According to state Department of Public Safety records, Snipes has been convicted of burglary, larceny, resisting an officer and receiving stolen vehicles since 2015.

Deputies stopped Snipes' vehicle early Thursday in Greenville, but he was able to escape on foot. They later tracked him down across town, where he was with a woman in an apartment.