(Snellville, Georgia)  Four suspects have been arrested and charged with their involvement in two Armed Robberies in unincorporated Snellville. The incidents occurred on Friday, May 6 around 3pm. 

Officers assigned to the South Precinct were dispatched to an Armed Robbery call at the Cash America Pawn located at 3355 Stone Mountain Highway in unincorporated Snellville.  The dispatcher told the officers that a victim was bleeding from his head and face; the victim was covered in blood.  All the suspects ran from the scene, and two of them were seen jumping over a barb wire fence.   

Once the officers arrived, the victim told them that 4 black males had robbed him and assaulted him in the parking lot.  One suspect pointed a black handgun in his face and demanded money.  One male punched the victim in the face.  The suspects took the victim’s cell phone, keys, and eyeglasses.  The cell phone and eyeglasses were later found nearby.   

A customer at a neighboring business saw the assault in the parking lot.  He saw one of the suspects run from the scene and get into a Hyundai Elantra.  The witness followed the suspects and called 911.  Nearby officers located the vehicle and conducted a felony traffic stop at Parkwood Road and Centerville Highway.  The suspect, Timothy James McClendon (age 17, Snellville) was seated in backseat of the vehicle.  Both the driver and suspect were detained. 

Shortly after the initial Armed Robbery call came out, a separate Armed Robbery call was dispatched at the Cubesmart Self Storage located at 3313 Stone Mountain Highway in unincorporated Snellville.  The victim was sitting inside the business with blood on his face and clothing.  The victim had a large laceration to the top of his head. 

He told the officers that he was at his storage unit getting some of his property and putting it in his vehicle when he was confronted by two black males.  One suspect pointed a handgun at him and demanded money.  When the victim told the suspects that he didn’t have any money, the two suspects began to punch and kick him in the head and upper body.  The suspects stole his cell phone, identification, and keys and began to remove some of the property from his vehicle.  Of the items stolen were 4 Samurai swords valued at several hundred dollars. 

The two suspects threw the property over the fence and retreated into the woods.  Several uniform officers along with K9s saturated the area.  An officer located a suspect, Irving Lewis Saunders (age 17, Snellville) in the woods.  As officers were trying to search him and place him under arrest, Saunders began fighting and kicking the officers.  Officers found the (Cubesmart) victim’s cell phone, identification, and keys.  Another set of keys was found belonging to the victim at the Cash America Pawn.  Jashon Aaron Samuels (age 18, Snellville) was also located and taken into custody. 

Soon after taking Saunders and Samuels into custody, officers spotted the remaining suspect getting into a passenger car driven by a female.  Officers quickly stopped the vehicle and took Thoushal Nakill Lucas (age 19, Snellville) into custody. 

Detectives assigned to the Robbery Unit and the Crime Scene Unit responded to the scene.  The victims were both checked out by members of the Gwinnett County Fire Department. 

The victim from Cash America Pawn identified all 4 suspects and indicated that Samuels was the one who punched him in the face.  The victim from Cubesmart identified Saunders and Samuels as the two suspects who robbed him. 

A Gwinnett County Police K9 located the suspect’s handgun and the remaining stolen property in the woods.  All the stolen property was returned to the victims. 

All four suspects and the driver of the Hyundai Elantra were transported to Gwinnett County Police Headquarters.  During the course of the investigation, the lead detective determined that the driver likely had no knowledge of the robberies.  He was later released. 

The suspects were ultimately transported to the Gwinnett County Jail and charged with their involvement in the robberies.  (See list of charges above.)

Thanks to the hard work of the responding officers, K9s, and the witness, all 4 suspects were identified and taken into custody.