Two Persons Charged After Reported Armed Robbery

Posted 12-18-20.

Two persons have been charged after a reported armed robbery yesterday, December 17, 2020.

23-year old Mitchell Gagel of Cookeville, TN has been charged with aggravated robbery, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated assault. 28-year old Tiffany Mynatt of Mascot, TN has been charged with aggravated robbery.

 

The victim called 911 at about 8:55 p.m. and stated that two men and one woman used a handgun and knife to rob him in the parking lot at 600 Parkway. The victim gave a description of the suspect vehicle, a silver Toyota Rav4 with a Florida license plate.

Multiple SPD officers responded and the suspect vehicle was located near 1260 Parkway, An attempt to stop the vehicle failed, and the driver fled north on the Parkway. The suspect vehicle made contact with a patrol vehicle driven by SPD Officer Morgan Watts, causing the patrol vehicle to strike a concrete bridge barrier near the intersection of Parkway and Forks of the River Parkway. Officer Watts was injured in the crash and transported to LeConte Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

The suspect vehicle continued northbound on the Parkway and was pursued by additional SPD and Sevier County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The vehicle turned east onto Dolly Parton Parkway, at times traveling east in the westbound lanes of travel. The suspect vehicle turned onto Old Newport Highway and eventually became disabled after turning onto Bluegrass Road.

At this point, an officer-involved shooting occurred. Per normal policy in an officer-involved shooting, the SPD requested, through the Attorney General’s Office, that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation lead the investigation into the shooting.

In accordance with SPD policy, the four SPD officers who were involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. The officers are Sergeant Justin Armstrong, Officer Mark McNabney, Officer Tyler Hansen and Officer Lance Chandler.

For additional information regarding the officer-involved shooting, please visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..