Two arrested in connection with robbery on Timber Run Drive
On Thursday afternoon, Columbia police detectives arrested Mackenzie Scott at 2101 North Stadium Boulevard for first degree robbery and armed criminal action.
Detectives also arrested Ian Patrick Rich, 22, from Columbia, on the same charges.
The two were arrested in connection with a home invasion robbery that happened in the 3900 block of Timber Run Drive on July 2.
Prosecutors charged Rich and Scott with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action on Friday. A judge set their bonds at $100,000.
A probable cause statement said the victim of the home invasion told police that two men and two women entered his house while he was asleep. Three of them, including the two men, had guns, and forced him into his kitchen. The female without a gun stole several items, including his gun, camera, television and wallet.
The victim told ABC 17 News he had no idea who the people were and considered himself randomly targeted.
The victim gave descriptions of each of the intruders, according to the statement, including the guns used. Specifically, he identified who police claim is Scott as wearing a “newsboy”-style hat.
The stolen gun from this incident, police said, was involved in an incident at the Welcome Inn on the afternoon of July 5. ABC 17 News has reported on an incident at the same address listed in the statement that day involving the death of Tanzell Johnson. ABC 17 News spoke with Johnson’s family on Tuesday, who questioned his cause of death.
During the search of the motel room, a woman wearing the same style hat as the one the home invasion victim described asked officers about the situation.
Both Scott and Rich were arrested on Thursday morning on a charge of possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop on Clark Lane. Police found several guns that matched the description of those used in the home invasion.
Police said the victim of the home invasion identified Scott and Rich as two of the intruders after their arrest.
The statement also claims that items reported stolen in a May burglary on West Boulevard were found in Scott and Rich’s car. Other items from the same burglary, according to the statement, were found in Johnson’s hotel room.
Department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer said Scott had also been arrested on a misdemeanor stealing charge related to the West Boulevard burglary.
When asked specifically if Johnson’s death was the “incident” referred to in the police statements, Larimer said she could not provide any information because it referred to an open investigation.