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'We cannot explain his behavior': No probable cause for man initially arrested in Walmart robbery

For months, Taylor Alexander Smith-Duffy was a person of interest in the crime after an attempt to pull him over during the investigation led to a standoff on I-75.

MARIETTA, Ga. — A man accused of causing an interstate standoff and who was initially arrested during the investigation of a robbery at a Cobb County Walmart is now facing fewer charges.

Taylor Alexander Smith-Duffy was taken into custody in April on charges tied to a tense moment with police on I-75. The incident backed up traffic for miles and was the result of the police department's search for the person who robbed a Walmart at 210 Cobb Parkway in Marietta.

Police pulled over Smith-Duffy, who they have since said matched the description of the suspect in the robbery and was driving a car they thought was connected to the incident. But, ultimately, he was only directly charged with the standoff itself.

Police said at the time that Smith-Duffy was a "person of interest in the robbery and that they were still trying "to make a determination if he was involved."

Now months later, police say they've made their determination - one that there is no probable cause to charge him in connection with that crime.

"We cannot explain his behavior when we stopped his vehicle on I-75," Marietta Police spokesperson Chuck McPhilamy said. 

He added that Marietta Police takes arresting and charging someone very seriously.

"While he was and is charged with obstruction, this investigation (his involvement with the robbery) took time to complete," McPhilamy said. "We can now definitely say there is no probable cause to charge Mr. Smith-Duffy in connection with the robbery at the Walmart store."

He added that his obstruction charge is a direct result of failing to cooperate with officers on the interstate.

"We can also confirm that other Walmart locations in the metro area have been robbed by what we believe to be the same suspect," McPhilamy said. "We are communicating with other jurisdictions about our respective investigations."

He said their department hasn't yet developed any new leads and he encouraged the public to contact them if they have any information that might help the investigation.

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