Less than three weeks after invading a Dacula home and pistol-whipping a male victim, three suspects are now in custody.
According to police, f. The victims, a man and his girlfriend, said all four males were wearing black ski masks. One of the suspects was reportedly armed with a handgun and another was carrying a baseball bat.
The suspect carrying the baseball bat allegedly grabbed the female victim and, during the ensuing struggle, struck the woman in the mouth causing a cut inside her lip. The suspect with the handgun repeatedly struck the male victim in the head with the weapon causing what the reporting officer described as “serious head injuries.”
The female victim said the suspects did not appear to be looking for anything in particular, but said some of her acquaintances believe she inherited a large sum of money after her father’s recent death. The only item taken was a Bulova watch belonging to the male victim.
Both victims identified one of their attackers as a former Mill Creek High School schoolmate of the male victim. A few hours after the initial report, the male victim contacted police again to advise that one of his friends had received several text messages from other friends bragging about breaking into a house and stealing a watch. Based on the information obtained from his friend, the male victim named three suspects, all former Mill Creek High School students.
The first suspect, Jovane Christopher McDermott, of 1645 Windsong Park Drive in Dacula, was taken into custody on May 6 and charged with two counts of armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a crime. On May 16, police arrested Ali Tyrek White of 1525 Laurel Crossing Parkway in Buford. White, a former Mill Creek football player and cousin to Atlanta Falcon player Roddy White, was also charged with two counts of armed robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. The third suspect, Carl James Copeland, 2670 Tybee Drive in Buford, was taken into custody on May 19 and is also facing charges of two counts of armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a crime.
All three are being held in the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond.
