Alleged Hilton Head cocaine deal gone wrong leads to pistol-whipping, armed robbery

Five people flagged down a county deputy early Tuesday morning to say they had been robbed at gunpoint and beaten after they tried to buy cocaine on a Hilton Head Island beach.

Capt. Bob Bromage of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday the deputy was waved over by one of the five around 4:45 a.m. near the Coligny Beach parking lot.

The woman told the deputy she, two other women and two men had been robbed by two African-American males around 3 a.m., Bromage said. Before the suspects ran away, they allegedly punched one of the men and “pistol-whipped” one of the women, Bromage said.

There were no obvious signs of injuries on any of the people, Bromage said.

The people said they had purchased cocaine from the two suspects the night before at a Hilton Head nightclub and arranged to purchase more near the beach.

When asked by a reporter which nightclub the five victims had visited, Bromage declined to comment.

“It appears the alleged robbery victims were targeted, and this (incident) is not considered a threat to the public,” Bromage said.

One of the suspects was described as approximately 6 feet tall, heavy-set with dreadlocks and with white beads. The victims said the man is in his late 20s and was wearing dark clothing at the time of the robbery.

The second suspect was holding a dark handgun and was approximately 5-foot-10. He was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt.

The accusers told deputies the two suspects walked away in the direction of the beach after they demanded money and cellphones, Bromage said.

No charges have been filed and the accusers were not in possession of illegal drugs at the time they approached the deputy, Bromage said.

The alleged robbery remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the incident can call the Sheriff’s Office at 843-255-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Alleged Hilton Head cocaine deal gone wrong leads to pistol-whipping, armed robbery."