An 18-year-old Macon man was arrested Wednesday morning after allegedly kicking in the front door of a Bibb County commissioner’s home and holding him at gunpoint, authorities said.
Bibb County deputies were dispatched to the west Macon home of Commissioner Virgil Watkins at 8:20 a.m., the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.
Watkins told police he was home asleep when the suspect, identified as Xavier Matthew Lewis, kicked in his door and started taking items.
The 35-year-old commissioner told the Macon Telegraph he woke up to a masked intruder standing over him with a gun to his face.
“He just kept repeating, ‘Where’s the money? Where’s the money? Give me the money,” Watkins told the newspaper. “I was naked and bare-handed fighting a man with a gun.”
Lewis fled the home on foot with a backpack allegedly filled with Watkins’ broken computer and a watch. Watkins called 911 and was able to describe the suspect to police, authorities said.
On their way to the commissioner’s home, deputies spotted Lewis running down the street. He had taken his pants off while fleeing the home and was seen running in a pair of shorts, the sheriff’s office said.
While trying to hide from deputies, Lewis reportedly dropped some of the items taken during the home invasion. He jumped several fences and ran into a briar patch near Keystone Street before being arrested.
While questioning Lewis, deputies determined he was also involved in the May 24 armed robbery of a food truck parked near Mercer University, authorities said.
In that case, Lewis allegedly approached the back of the Lou’s Grub Shack truck, brandished a pistol and demanded money from two employees working inside, police said.
When one of the employees grabbed their firearm, Lewis allegedly fired a single shot and ran off without getting any cash.
Nobody was injured in either incident, deputies said.
Lewis is charged with home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated assault. He remains held at the Bibb County Jail without bond, records show.
Anyone with information about the attempted robbery or home invasion is asked to call the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500.
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