Officials with the Clarendon County Detention Center said late Friday night they are unsure when all warrants will be filed against two Charleston-area men who have allegedly been involved in six separate armed robbery incidents.
Four law enforcement agencies in Sumter and Clarendon counties have come together against Darius Deonte Cummings, 25, and Deshaun Forrest, 25, saying the pair have done everything from rob a Dollar General at knife-point to pistol whipping a woman in her home.
The pair were arrested Thursday after a car chase that ended in a vehicle wreck in the Ram Bay section of Clarendon County. They allegedly robbed the Dollar General in Summerton, an incident where Cummings is alleged to have assaulted a male cashier, slashing him in the arms and then stabbing him in the back.
The cashier was treated by EMS and had minor injuries, according to Summerton Police Chief Ray Perdue.
After their arrest, the pair was tied to other incidents in the city of Sumter and greater Sumter County.
Summerton Police announced Friday afternoon that a third suspect, Denzel Moultrie, 22, will be charged in the Dollar General incident with accessory to attempted murder and accessory to armed robbery.
"We expect to charge Cummings and Forrest with multiple charges for incidents over the past week, including armed robberies of individuals while at various motels in both the city and county of Sumter," said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis.
Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark said his office would be charging the pair with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of first-degree assault and battery.
Dennis said Cummings would be charged with two counts of kidnapping and first-degree burglary, along with a single count of armed robbery. The Sumter Police Department may additionally charging Cummings with attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, first-degree assault and battery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Incidents specified in the charges include:
A woman living in the 4100 block of Broad Street in Sumter told deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office about 10:57 p.m. May 4 that two males forced themselves into her home while she was playing video games. She said one of them put a gun to her head and told her to shut up and sit down. A man ultimately came to the woman's rescue with a shotgun, after which the suspects ran from the home.
A man staying at the Motel 6 in the 4200 block of Broad Street in Sumter told deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office about 6:24 a.m. May 6 that the suspects approached him, with one presenting a firearm. They took him back into his room and "robbed him," reports state. They had him get on his knees with his hands behind his head, struck him in the face four times and struck him in the head with the pistol. They took his wallet, which had $15, various IDs and some credit cards. This attack was caught on surveillance.
Roark said Cummings is allegedly the suspect who also approached a woman on Washington Street and attempted to rob her, ultimately struggling with her. The woman was shot during the incident, but was not seriously injured.
"These are bad guys," Roark said. "I don't want to focus on their criminal activities. I want to focus on the hard work done between all these agencies. This shows cooperation through four different jurisdictions."
Roark said he hopes the arrests will be a sign to those engaging in possible criminal activity.
"I would hope this stands as a demonstration to those in our community who will know we do work together," he said. "I hope it tells them you can't cross these county lines and try this type of activity. I hope it shows them there are no issues of turf in law enforcement."
The pair remains at the Clarendon County Detention Center.
