An 18-year-old man was the seventh suspect arrested in a violent armed robbery that nearly killed a woman at an apartment complex advertised solely to Kennesaw State University students, authorities said.
Joseph Michael Rodriguez of Dallas was moved from the Paulding County Jail to the Cobb County Jail on Feb. 28 to join his six co-defendants, according to county jail records. Kennesaw police told Channel 2 Action News that two more suspects, who have not been identified, are still wanted in this case.
The investigation began Jan. 26, when a large group broke into an apartment at the U Club on Frey about midnight, robbing and attacking two men while nearly beating a woman to death. All three were beaten at gunpoint, while one man was robbed of his iPhone 11 Pro Max, AJC.com previously reported.
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The woman “could have been reasonably” killed due to the suspects punching and kicking her head and neck during the incident, according to arrest warrants. Seven other people in the room and witnessed the attack but they were not harmed, police said.
The apartment complex, which is off Frey Road, is within half a mile of KSU's main campus. U Club on Frey bills itself on its website as a community of "student apartments." University officials confirmed that none of the suspects are KSU students, but they could not confirm whether any of the victims are enrolled.
Nearly three weeks after the attack, police made the first three arrests, followed by another trio of arrests about two weeks later, AJC.com previously reported. The suspects are all between the ages of 17 and 21, and all seven face the same 12 charges.
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The other six suspects arrested in the case are:
• Bryce Dowell, 17 of Hiram
• Qwantavis Jeffery Lamar Evans, 21, of Dallas
• Qwantrell Jarell Evans, 19, of Dallas
• Dameyon Heck, 18, of Woodstock
• Madalyn Nicole Hooker, 17, of Woodstock
• Zavian Jermaine Stevenson, 17, of Dallas
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
According to Hooker’s warrants, she admitted to police that she drove the group to the apartment complex, witnessed the robberies and then drove the group away from the scene.
The suspects all face felony counts of aggravated assault and armed robbery, while also facing seven counts of simple battery, jail records show. The latter charges stem from the seven witnesses in the room during the attack, since they were close to the violence.
The suspects remain in jail without bond.
Anyone with information on this incident or the two outstanding suspects are asked to contact Kennesaw police at 770-422-2505.
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