Stopping a Tulsa crime spree with several arrests

Stopping a Tulsa crime spree with two arrests. Tulsa Police say they'll clear up more than 10 armed robberies and some shootings with the arrests of two men. They know all this violence has people

Tuesday, January 24th 2006, 10:25 pm

By: News On 6

Stopping a Tulsa crime spree with two arrests. Tulsa Police say they'll clear up more than 10 armed robberies and some shootings with the arrests of two men. They know all this violence has people in Tulsa scared and they hope these arrests will help everyone feel a little safer.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright has new police records that include confessions.

Detectives say William Givens is a man who didn't hesitate to point a gun in someone's face and take their money. He was arrested after a big chase, crashing into a police car and being tracked by the police chopper. They say he had two guns with him and that he likely did 10 recent robberies.

Tulsa Police say another big arrest is of Bennie Mack and Brittaney Barnes [pictured], who didn't exactly seem sorry on their way to the Tulsa County jail. Tulsa Police Sgt Mike Huff: "They seemed pretty jovial for the cameras. It just shows the arrogant, flippant attitude toward this violence thing."

And, violence is right. Mack is accused of shooting a man in the chest and killing him, during a robbery, just because that man didn't have very much money on him. Sgt. Mike Huff: "The only money he had was pocket change and he offered that. The suspect got upset it wasn't enough money and shot him right in front of his son."

An affidavit says witnesses are ready to testify that Mack confessed to them that he was the shooter. It also says Mack admitted to police that he robbed a Tulsa business on January 11th. An affidavit for Barnes says witnesses are ready to testify she drove the get-away car for Mack after the murder. It says she confessed to other people that she drove Mack during several robberies, including the murder, but, she denied it to Tulsa Police.

The affidavit also says while Brittaney Barnes was sitting in the police interrogation room, being secretly videotaped, that she was calling people on her cell phone, saying things like, "the police know everything" and "I'm not going to crack."

The only good thing to come out of this recent upswing in violence is that fear is getting people to call Crimestoppers more and cooperate with police more.