Arrest made in violent Lilburn home invasion

By Staff reports

For the AJC

A man suspected of entering a Lilburn home and violently beating its occupants before stealing credit card and cash was arrested Thursday.

Gerald Watkins, 39, of Atlanta, is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

Police say Watkins was among those who burst into a home  March 16 on Harvard Drive.

Lilburn Police spokesman Capt. Bruce Hedley said four male intruders, armed with a rifle and handguns, kicked in the front door of the home. Three of the occupants of the home were bound with zip ties while another escaped through an upstairs window, Hedley said. The suspects demanded cash, beat the victims with a blunt object and stole cash and credit cards.

The occupant who fled through the window later returned with a handgun and opened fire on the suspects, who fled. Watkins was injured in the shooting and DNA from blood at the scene linked him to the crime, Hedley said Thursday.

Watkins was picked up while visiting his probation officer. He is being held at the Gwinnett County Jail.