Police: Robbery suspect had rifle, bulletproof vest, machete

An armed robbery suspect caught Tuesday was carrying a .22-caliber rifle and a machete and wearing a bulletproof vest, Fayetteville police said.

Police said John Oalton Miles Jr. approached a person on Wichita Drive around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and asked for a ride. When the person refused, Miles pulled out a sawed-off rifle, police said. The person ran away and called police.

Officers said they found Miles near Morganton Road Elementary School and arrested him after a short foot chase. In addition to the rifle, machete and bulletproof vest, he was carrying a shank-like knife and a pocket knife, police said.

Miles, 27, of Coolshade Drive, was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a weapon of mass destruction and carrying a concealed weapon. He was placed in the Cumberland County jail under a $35,000 secured bond.

He has a single previous conviction for carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor, in 2009, according to state Department of Correction records. He served six months' probation.