Police Make Final Arrest In Bartow Armed Robberies

BARTOW, FL – Bartow Police have arrested a man they believe is responsible for pistol whipping and shooting at two foreign exchange students at the Azalea Gardens apartment complex.

With the assistance of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Jonathan Lamont Vaughn, 21, of Bartow was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 29. He was booked into the Miami-Dade Detention Center and will be extradited back to Polk County to face several criminal charges, including armed robbery.

With Vaughn’s arrest, Bartow detectives believe they have all the accused believed to be involved in two robberies this month in custody (see related story).

The first armed robbery occurred Aug. 3 at the ATA Stereo Sound shop,1256

N. Broadway Ave. Two men entered the store with handguns and demanded money from store owner Yahia Suwail.

Then, on Aug. 9, two exchange students were lured to the Azalea Gardens at 1050 S. Golfview Ave. to purchase a an iPhone they’d seen for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Once they arrived, two men armed with semi-automatic handguns demanded they hand over their money.

One then struck both students over the head with the gun and shot at them.

During the investigation, detectives identified Vaughn, Genard Demari Smith Jr. of Bartow, Erik Futch of Brandon and Futch’s girlfriend, Keirra Lampley of Winter Haven, as suspects.

All were arrested except Vaughn who remained at large until this week.

Image via Bartow Police

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)