RACINE, Wis. — The owners of a bar in Racine have breathed a sigh of relief after the man who robbed them last month was caught, thanks to dozens of community tips.
The incident happened on March 1 when a masked man pointed a gun at Double Vision Bartender Courtney Smith, before emptying the register of more than $7,000 and walking out.
“When the lady from 911 answered the call and I had to say it out loud, that’s when it hit,” Smith said. “I couldn’t believe it, then I went in shock, couldn’t stop shaking.”
Smith said that when the burglar first walked in at around 6:30 a.m., she thought he was one of her regulars, so she offered to get him a drink.
He instead asked if there was another bartender on duty before aiming a gun at Smith.
“I was kind of numb, I just put my hands up, let him do what he wanted to do and just waited for him to go out the door,” Smith recalled.
The next time she would see the suspect would be April 10 via Zoom, during his first appearance in court.
Thirty-one-year-old Marcus McClain has been charged with armed robbery as a party to a crime, possession of a firearm by a felon, and six counts of felony bail jumping.
According to court records officers got surveillance video from another business in the area that showed McClain using a Nissan Rogue near Double Vision.
Watch: Community tips lead to arrest in Racine bar robbery
They also got a tip that the 31-year-old may be the suspect before tracking the car to McClain’s residence.
That paired with a limp that officers were able to identify in the surveillance footage, which they believed was due to a gunshot McClain suffered in August 2024, led to his arrest.
The bar’s co-owner Kevin Coey told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin it was their community of customers, who he said are more like friends and family, that helped police identify and capture McClain.
“The police department can only do so much. I really believe community involvement is what helps them succeed,” he said. “Somebody always knows something.”
After Coey took to Facebook, asking for help identifying the masked suspect, within one-hour tips started rolling in and didn’t stop for weeks.
“I could never say thank you enough,” he shared. ‘I’m grateful for every one of them. Each one of the responses I got and tips that I got is like a piece to a puzzle."
Coey received more than 50 tips, which he said he researched and vetted himself before passing the information off to investigators.
Those tips made an impact not just on the investigation but on his bartender as well.
Smith said, despite the ordeal she’s still comfortable behind the bar, serving her community.
“It’s just all the caring and support and togetherness that’s helped,” she shared. “Everyone’s watching out for you so it’s not scary.”
Friday, Racine County District 4 Supervisor and City of Racine District 5 Alder Melissa Kaprelian applauded community members for getting involved in the public safety process.
“A good sense of ownership is to know that we’re responsible for those spaces too,’ she emphasized. “We’re the ones who know what’s familiar and we also know what might seem off.”
Kaprelian said while the area’s police force is dedicated, they can’t be the eyes of the whole community, and asked residents to follow the lead of Double Vision’s response.
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