Robbery victims follow suspects until deputies pounce

A Beaufort man and a Seabrook man were arrested Monday after the two men they allegedly robbed at gunpoint followed them and gave their descriptions to deputies.

Keenan Wright, 22, of Seabrook and Lorenzo Williams, 18, of Beaufort were each charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. The two male victims said they were held at gunpoint by three men late Monday afternoon near the Pine Forest pool area off Malphrus Road in Bluffton, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release. The third suspect escaped, the release said. The victims were robbed of their money and wristwatches, the release said.

The victims followed the suspects, who drove away in a silver Dodge Charger with custom rims, until they saw deputies at the Enmark gas station on Bluffton Parkway, the release said.

As the victims described the suspects’ vehicle and what happened, deputies in Okatie spotted the Charger on Highway 170 traveling toward Beaufort and stopped it.

During the stop, an African American male jumped from the Charger and ran into nearby woods while Wright and Williams remained in the vehicle, the release said.

When deputies searched Wright and Williams, they found a handgun hidden in Wright’s pants and two more handguns inside the Charger, the release said. The wristwatches and money allegedly stolen from the victims was also found during that search, the release said.

Wright was later cited for simple possession of marijuana after he was transported from Bluffton Police Department to the Beaufort County Detention Center around 9:40 p.m. Monday.

A sheriff’s office report said a bag containing 3.12 grams of suspected marijuana fell out of Wright’s pants as he removed them at the detention center.

“All of his clothes were collected at the detention center, and that’s where it was discovered,” said sherrif’s office spokesperson Bob Bromage.

Anyone with information on the identity of the third suspect can contact Lance Cpl. Ryan Chin at 843-255-3515 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Robbery victims follow suspects until deputies pounce."