Parolee charged in robbery attempt at drive-in restaurant

By KATE HOWARD • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • April 9, 2008 A parolee with a history of robbery convictions was ar rested early Tuesday on charges he and an accomplice assaulted employees of a Sonic restaurant in Antioch with a pipe during a robbery attempt. Lawrence Trent Taylor, 43, of Sugar Mill Drive was caught hiding in a Dumpster after a search by helicopter and police dogs following the incident. A second suspect has not been caught. According to police, Taylor and another person ordered a Sonic employee into a Dumpster about 12:35 a.m. outside the 1331 Bell Road restaurant and punched an employee who was checking the restrooms. A third worker in the restaurant was hit with a metal pipe but managed to put his as sailant into a headlock and push him toward the door. The employee retrieved a pistol from his car and fired shots at the man, police said. Police positioned themselves outside the restaurant and a police dog tracked the suspect to a nearby strip mall. He was found using infrared heat detection and was startled out of the Dumpster by a SWAT team. Taylor was arrested and probably will by charged with a parole violation. Two employees were treated for head injuries.