Sheriff Leon Lott addressed the media regarding the arrests made of five armed robbers in Columbia.
The three-day crime spree occurred in the Two Notch Road area between March 11 and March 13.
The accused robbers stormed Q Computer Solutions, stealing money and MacBooks.
The Shell gas station at 7444 Two Notch Road was robbed by five men who wore bandannas and brandished pistols.
Richland County authorities arrested five men in connection with a three-day crime spree around the area of Two Notch Road.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced the arrests in a press conference Wednesday.
“Sadly I’m here to tell you about five young men who’ve thrown their lives away,” Lott told reporters.
The five men, Javari Ward, 21, Javon Sims, 20, Izaha Holmes, 19, Tavis Bethel, 20, and Alan Wright, 19 were each charged with armed robbery.
The robbers held up three gas stations and a computer parts store while wearing bandanas and utilizing handguns.
“It was easy for us to know there was a crime spree going on,” Lott said.
According to Lott, the men were captured after being tracked to a local motel room. In his press conference, Lott said the robbers posed a threat to the community.
“This was a group that was dangerous; this was a group that was not going to stop,” said Lott.
When asked about a possible motive for the crimes, the sheriff stated it was purely financial.
“They wanted money – for them the easy way was to go out and rob people,” said Lott.
The Richland County Fugitive Task Force as well as the U.S. Marshals Service are credited with tracking and arresting the fugitives.
