1 arrested, 1 sought after couple robbed in home invasion

Joshua Holland

Joshua Holland

One man is in custody and police are seeking another in connection with a home invasion and robbery of a couple while they were wrapping Christmas presents, police said.

Joshua Holland, 22, of Villa Rica, was arrested Monday, Carrollton police Capt. Shannon Cantrell said. “We have a hunch” who the other person involved is, he said.

The victims were a 28-year-old woman and a 26 year-old man, police said.

The incident began when the man answered the side door at home and was punched in the face by what he said was a large man, police said. The two assailants then entered the house and took the victims’ cellphones, and one put the man in a chokehold.

One of the assailants took the phone when the woman tried to call 911, and she later was grabbed and dragged from room to room, police said.

The larger assailant took the man to the bathroom, closed the door and told him to not come out until he counted to 60, according to police.

The woman said before the assailants left, they took an Xbox One and a laptop, as well as putting loose change and other items into their pockets.

She was handed both cellphones back by the smaller assailant, and the assailants left running down the street. They were in the house for about 15 minutes, police said.

The man came out of the bathroom and called 911.

The man at large is about 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, according to police.

Know what's really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC's crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.

In other news: