OCEAN CITY — Four suspects were arrested late Tuesday night for allegedly forcing their way into a downtown apartment and assaulting and robbing the victims.
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a downtown apartment building for a report of a disorderly group of males. Upon arrival, OCPD officers met with a juvenile victim who reported four suspects chased him into his unit, kicked the door in, threatened to stab him and then attempted to rob him.
Realizing the incident was more serious than a disorderly call for which they originally responded, OCPD officers broadcasted a description of the suspects to fellow officers. There were multiple people in the unit, but only four advised they saw what happened and could remember exactly what happened, according to police reports.
The four suspects, later identified as James Travon Jones, 19, of Owings Mills, Md.; Christianne Dave Igao, 19, of Owings Mills; and two 15-year-old juveniles from Baltimore, were located a short time later walking northbound on Baltimore Avenue.
The investigation revealed Igao, Jones and the two juvenile suspects had been in a verbal altercation with the victims on the Boardwalk, according to police reports. The four suspects repeatedly asked the victims if they were selling marijuana, but the victims were neither selling weed, nor did they possess any, according to police reports.
When the parties reached the victim’s apartment building at Somerset Street, the victims again told the four suspects they did not have any marijuana for sale. The victims ran up the stairs to the second-floor unit and tried to close the door, but the suspects reportedly ran up the stairs after them. As one of the victims was attempting to close the apartment door, one of the suspects barged through it violently, nearly popping one of the victim’s shoulders out of its socket, according to police reports.
Once the suspects gained entry to the apartment, one of them grabbed a female victim and threw her to the ground, according to police reports. Each of the suspects had their hands in their pockets and were all threatening to stab the victims. According to police reports, the suspects each had their hands in their pockets, giving the illusion they were carrying knives.
The suspects demanded the victims turn over their money, cell phones and marijuana. There was only one entry and exit point for the apartment and the suspects blocked it, preventing the victims from escaping, according to police reports. The suspects were not allowing anyone to leave the apartment and continued threatening to stab everyone in the residence. According to police reports, the only way out for the victims was to jump off the balcony or attempt to fight through the suspects.
Jones and Igao were each charged with home invasion, breaking and entering with intent to commit an act of violence, first-degree burglary, three counts of first-degree assault, third-degree burglary, two counts of robbery, three counts of second-degree assault, false imprisonment and trespassing. Jones and Igao were each seen by a District Court Commissioner and were ordered to be held without bond.
The two juveniles were each charged with robbery, first-degree assault, home invasion, breaking and entering with intent to commit an act of violence and first-degree burglary. Each juvenile’s case has been referred to the Department of Juvenile Services.
