Four Peachtree City teens have been arrested for armed robbery after they executed a plan to rob another kid at gunpoint on the cart path near Blue Smoke Park Thursday afternoon.

The male gunman, who wore a bandanna, took a cell phone from the victim and items from two other juveniles who were in the victim’s golf cart at the time, police said. It was later determined that the two other “victims” had planned the attack ahead of time, conspiring with the gunman and the getaway golf cart driver— all of whom were 15 years old.

Police Chief James Murray said the gun used may have been a toy gun or BB gun, but that doesn’t make the crime any less serious, he added.

“What if one of our bicycle officers had pulled up and seen someone with a bandanna and a weapon?” he said. “It could have been a tragedy.”

The gun has not yet been recovered by police, Murray said.
Murray said the incident can’t be dismissed as a prank because the actual victim in this case was injured when the gunman punched him, causing a cut above the eye, even after the victim handed over his cellphone.

None of the juvenile suspects’ names have been released. The gunman is charged with armed robbery, battery and possession of marijuana (less than one ounce). The other three alleged co-conspirators were charged with being party to the crime of armed robbery.

A juvenile court judge ruled that all four must remain in a juvenile detention center until their trial, Murray said.

The victim is also 15, and suffered a cut above his eye, police said. The suspect punched one of the juveniles even after that juvenile handed over his property, police said.

“What if he’d have fallen to the ground after he was punched?” Murray asked.

District Attorney Scott Ballard said he has decided not to charge the youths as adults, a decision he based on specific details he learned about the case. Instead the matter will be conducted in juvenile court where the suspects can remain anonymous because of Georgia statutes protecting juvenile court proceedings.

As a juvenile, the charge of armed robbery carries a maximum sentence of five years, Ballard said.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Peachtree City Police Department at 770-631-2510. Callers may remain anonymous.

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