Teen with machete, bat attacked hostages in targeted break in, Lexington Co. cops say
A teenager is behind bars after he was charged with breaking into a Midlands home and attacking three people, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
The break in and assault happened Jan. 21 in a home on Treemount Lane, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s near the intersection of Fish Hatchery Road and Church Street.
Colbie Lee Whitaker was part of a group that targeted the home and attacked the people inside, according to the release.
The 19-year-old Gaston resident was armed with a baseball bat and machete during the break in, where he held one person at gunpoint, the sheriff’s department said.
Whitaker was arrested Sunday night and is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the release.
He was charged with two drug crimes for thefts of a controlled substance, kidnapping, first-degree burglary, and prisoners, jail records show.
Whitaker is locked up while waiting for a bond hearing, the sheriff’s department said.
No other arrests have been made, as deputies try to identify and locate the others involved in the break in and assault, Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release.
Information on the other people facing criminal charges was not available.
“This was not a random crime,” Koon said in the release. “Both sides are connected and know each other. That has helped detectives develop leads and they continue to follow up on them.”
There was no word on the condition of the three people who were attacked inside the home, or the motive for the break in.
In addition to the most recent crimes, an assault and battery by mob charge is pending against Whitaker from a 2018 arrest, according to Lexington County court records. Serious bodily injury was caused in that incident, court records show.
Whitaker also has a traffic charge pending from a December 2019 arrest when he was going more than 25 mph over the speed limit on Christmas Day, according to court records.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 1:30 PM.
