Flagstaff, AZ. – A despondent man had hoped to commit suicide-by-cop when he robbed two stores in Flagstaff.
According to the Flagstaff Police Department, on August 18, 2021 at about 3:00 p.m., officers were called to the 2600 Block of South Woodlands Village Blvd in regards to an Armed Robbery that had just occurred at the Verizon Store. Employees reported that a man had produced a knife and told them to call the police because this was a robbery. He was given an undisclosed amount of money and he discarded the money and fled into the parking lot.
The man, later identified as 20-year-old Paris Javon Crowell, from Minnesota, then walked across the street and entered the GameStop store where he again produced the knife and again told them to call the police because this was robbery. He was given an undisclosed amount of money and he again discarded the money and fled outside.
Responding officers from several law enforcement agencies quickly located a subject matching Crowell’s description walking in the area. He was armed with a knife and was non-compliant with initial officers.
Flagstaff Police officers were able to de-escalate the situation after several minutes of talking with him and he dropped the knife and was taken into custody without injury. He immediately began telling officers that he did not want to live any longer. During a subsequent interview, Crowell told investigators he had come to Flagstaff to camp. He became despondent and decided to commit the robberies not for the money but to commit suicide by police.
Crowell has been booked into the CCSO jail for two counts of Armed Robbery ARS 13-1904a1 along with several counts of aggravated assault.
He was also submitted for a mental health evaluation.