All news

Suspects arrested after gas station break-in by axe-wielding thieves

The suspects, caught on video with masks and a stolen case of scratchers, are now in police custody.

A screenshot from the security footage, shows the two suspects at the scene of the crime.
A screenshot from the security footage, shows the two suspects at the scene of the crime. Photograph credit to the Duncan Police Department.
Todd Betzold

Halloween may be over, but these thieves seem to think otherwise. Early Sunday morning, two masked suspects — one sporting a “Scream” hoodie and wielding an axe — smashed their way into an Oklahoma convenience store and made off with a case of Oklahoma Lottery scratchers.

As police were searching for the suspects, who have now been arrested, there seemed to be more questions than answers that popped up.

The robbery

Around 5:15 a.m. CT on Sunday, December 1, 2024, two suspects broke into a Chisholm Corner, located at 211 E. Chestnut Ave. in Duncan.

The duo were caught on surveillance cameras, with one of the suspects wearing a “Scream” hoodie while carrying an axe. Both of the suspects were seen wearing masks at the time of the robbery.

In the footage, the pair can be seen running off with a case of Oklahoma Lottery scratch-off tickets.

The public's help was needed

After obtaining the video footage from the robbery, police posted photos of the suspects on their Facebook page.

The Duncan Police Department said the pair were slender men wearing gloves and masks. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Duncan Police Department.

Updates on the case

After the original post went live on Facebook, police updated it with more photos. They now had a person and vehicle of interest for the break-in.

Police noted that the tag on the vehicle's license plate did not match the vehicle, so they seemed to have more questions than answers.

However, those questions were answered, as police released another update saying the suspects have now been located.

Big winner on Oklahoma Lottery scratcher

The thieves must have heard about a recent Oklahoma man who hit it big on a scratch-off ticket, which is why they tried to steal a case of them.

Possibly, but that lucky man was Frank, a resident of Harrah. He recently claimed the top prize on the $3 Million Mania scratcher.

The winning ticket was purchased at an EZ Mart in Harrah, and Frank made his way to the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center to claim his winnings.

With the winnings in his possession now, Frank is going to be sharing the love this holiday season. He told lottery officials that he plans on buying a new home for his daughter and her family.

Frank happened to be the first person to claim the top prize in the $3 Million Mania game. That means there is still one top prize remaining in the game.

Making millionaires in Oklahoma

With Frank's big win, he became the Oklahoma Lottery's 85th millionaire.

The Oklahoma Lottery has been paying out those winnings, too, as they paid out over $271 million in prizes to players last fiscal year.

Since the lottery launched, they have generated more than $1.32 billion in funds that have been given to the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund. These funds are then appropriated into school budgets by the State Legislature. From there, the funds are then allocated for use by the District Administration.

Enjoy playing the Oklahoma Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.

Comments

0
Loading comments

Related articles

A police car with flashing lights at night.
Clerk pleads guilty in $9K lottery ticket scheme

She printed hundreds of tickets and cashed in the winners at the store across the street from her work.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Maryland Lottery logo along with two sample files for the Maryland Treasures scratch-off ticket.
Maryland Lottery offers $4,000 per piece for scratch-off designs

Three lucky artists will see their Maryland artwork on thousands of lottery tickets.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

A screen capture of the security procedures that take place before a modern Melate, Revancha, and Revanchita draw.
The $8M Mexican lottery heist that fooled a nation—almost

The mistake that unraveled a multi-million-dollar lottery heist.

Alex Cramer profile pic

Alex Cramer

Hutto Food Mart in Holly Hill, South Carolina.
Multi-store lottery fraud scheme unraveled in South Carolina

An Orangeburg man faces lottery fraud charges for allegedly passing stolen scratch-offs.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

Recent articles

View All
A police car with flashing lights at night.
Clerk pleads guilty in $9K lottery ticket scheme

She printed hundreds of tickets and cashed in the winners at the store across the street from her work.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

The Maryland Lottery logo along with two sample files for the Maryland Treasures scratch-off ticket.
Maryland Lottery offers $4,000 per piece for scratch-off designs

Three lucky artists will see their Maryland artwork on thousands of lottery tickets.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher

The numbers 3333 and 888 over a sky blue background with confetti.
Quads, trips, and a countdown win big over the holiday weekend

If you ever thought repeating digits were too good to be true, think again — just ask these 26,000+ winners.

Todd Betzold profile pic

Todd Betzold

Publix on Old 41 Highway NW in Kennessaw, Georgia.
Holiday jackpots: Georgia players win millions over July 4th weekend

A Kennessaw Publix shopper won $3 million in Friday's Mega Millions drawing.

Samantha Herscher profile pic

Samantha Herscher