Police: Smash and grab thief Micah James Mitchell ran out of gas

Deputies said they had an easy time finding a smash-and-grab thief who ran out of gas just a short distance from the business he targeted.

A man smashed his way through the front doors of the BP gas station on Highway 211 in Barrow County on Friday moing and made off with cigarettes and lottery tickets.

Investigators said they arrived at the store just minutes after the alarm went off and found red paint on the front doors of the gas station and pieces of broken tail lights.

Barrow County deputies started to search the area for a red vehicle and found an abandoned Ford Expedition a few miles away on Highway 53 near Mulberry Road. Deputies said the vehicle had damage consistent with the evidence they found at the store and they found cigarettes and lottery tickets inside the vehicle.

Deputies say the driver of the SUV, Micah James Mitchell, ran out of gas and was found walking down the road. Mitchell, 41, is charged with smash-and-grab burglary, criminal damage to property and theft by taking.

Braselton and Gwinnett County police are questioning Mitchell about a pair of similar smash and grab robberies that happened hours earlier.