More Charges For Armed Robbery Suspects

SNELLVILLE, GA -- For the third time in just over a week, Gwinnett County Police on Monday linked a group of teens arrested for armed robbery and battery last weekend with additional crimes.

Jashon Samuels and Irving Saunders, two of the four suspects arrested late last Friday and early last Saturday, now face additional charges of aggravated assault and robbery in a separate incident.

A fifth teen, Je'von Harris, 19, of Snellville, also faces those charges in the incident.

Police say that, on March 28, an officer was called to Eastside Medical Center to meet a victim who had "significant injuries" to his face.

The victim said he was approached at work by four men he knew as acquaintances from South Gwinnett High School. They offered him a ride home from work, he said.

He asked to go to a friend's house and the group drove briefly to the victim's home, to a gas station and then to a Walmart to buy snacks.

When the victim left the store, the men and their car were gone. He started walking to a friend's house when he saw them again and, as he approached, they began beating him, eventually knocking him to the ground.

The men then emptied his pockets, stealing his phone and wallet.

Once the case was assigned to a detective, police say, he was able to determine that three of the suspects were Samuels, Saunders and Harris.

Samuels and Saunders were charged in jail, where they're currently being held. Harris had not been arrested as of Monday afternoon.

Samuels, Saunders, Timothy James McClendon, 17, and Thoushal Nakill Lucas, 19, all of Snellville, face a variety of charges in a pair of armed robberies and beatings that happened last Friday.

Police say the four punched and kicked their victims, in addition to pulling a gun on them, during two robberies that happened at Cash America Pawn and Cubesmart Self Storage, both on Stone Mountain Highway.

Days later, armed robbery, hijacking and battery charges were leveled against Samuels for another robbery.

And the day after that, Lucas was hit with additional warrants for burglary and theft by deception.

(Image courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department)