By Joe Johnson
Five juveniles have been arrested in connection with an armed robbery of a pair of teenagers Wednesday afternoon in a Winder subdivision, according to the Winder Police Department.
The robbery occurred soon after 3:30 p.m., as the victims stood in the driveway of a home on Monticello Court in the Bellingrath Plantation subdivision, located near state Highway 211 and Hal Jackson Road.
The teens were approached by a group of juveniles in a vehicle, three of whom jumped out with guns and stole a book bag that contained cash and personal items, which police did not specify.
According to police, the victims were in phone contact with one of the suspects in the vehicle just prior to the robbery.
Officers were able to track down the address of one of two juvenile females who were in the vehicle during the robbery, at a home outside Winder city limits, on Giles Road.
Deputies went to the residence where they took both female suspects into custody, police said, while the three male juvenile suspects fled into a nearby wooded area, possibly still in possession of guns.
Two of the male suspects were arrested at about 2 a.m. Thursday, following a manhunt that involved officers from several law enforcement agencies and included K-9 units and a police helicopter.
The third male was arrested later in the day Thursday, at about 6 p.m., police said.
During the course of the manhunt and investigation, authorities reportedly recovered the victim’s book bag, three pistols believed to have been used in the robbery, ammunition and a cellphone, among other evidence.
The suspects’ identities were withheld because they are juveniles.
They were all charged with armed robbery, police said, and the males were charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and reckless conduct.
All were being held at a regional Youth Detention Center.
Winder detectives continued to investigate and additional charges may be forthcoming, police said.