Police Nab Two Robbery Suspects

(Editor's Note: This is taken from a press release from Gwinnett County Police Department.)

Gwinnett County Police Department Robbery Unit detectives have charged two suspects in a series of armed bank robberies.

The two suspects are Henry Lee Johnson, 20, and Ebanga Asuamah, 27. They are accused of robberies in several jurisdictions in the metro-Atlanta area, including Lilburn and Norcross.

On August 5, 2011, police believe one of the suspects entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 1028 Killian Hill Road in unincorporated Lilburn. The suspect wore a track suit, a purple head scarf, and carried a purple bag. He obtained $10,000 in cash from the tellers at gunpoint and fled the scene. GCPD robbery detectives responded to the scene, along with federal agents. A witness provided a vehicle desription to investigators.

During September, there were additional robberies at a Regions Bank in Dunwoody and a Wells Fargo in Sandy Springs. Those robberies were conducted in a similar manner as the incident at the Lilburn Wells Fargo. GCPD detectives worked with detectives from Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and federal agents. The investigation led detectives to suspect that Henry Lee Johnson was involved in the robbery.

On  November 22, 2011, police say a suspect entered the SunTrust Bank at 5950 Jimmy Carter Boulevard in unincorporated Norcross. The suspect produced a black handgun and demanded cash. The suspect jumped up on the counter and threatened a teller with the gun. He obtained approximately $18,000 in cash and fled the scene. Again, GCPD robbery detectives and FBI agents responded to the scene.

The investigation into these robberies led detectives to an associate of Johnson’s: Ebanga Asuamah. Johnson and Asuamah had been arrested together by Dunwoody Police earlier in 2011. GCPD detectives obtained a warrant for Johnson soon after the Norcross SunTrust robbery.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit was able to track down Johnson’s location. And, on December 4, 2011, sheriff's deputies and GCPD detectives took Johnson into custody without incident.

Later that day, GCPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Asuamah. Sandy Springs police officers and FBI agents located Asuamah and took him into custody without incident.

At this time, Johnson and Asuamah have each been charged with two counts of armed robbery, one each for the Lilburn Wells Fargo robbery and the Norcross SunTrust robbery. 

Further charges against these subjects are under investigation by this department, Dunwoody Police, Sandy Springs Police, and the FBI.