Police: Three arrested following assault, threats

Sep. 20—VALDOSTA — Three men were arrested Monday following reports of an assault and threats, police said Tuesday.

At 2:12 a.m., an officer responded to the 800 block of South Fry Street on an E911 call claiming there had been an assault, according to a Valdosta Police Department statement.

The officer spoke with two people who said known offenders had assaulted them and threatened them with bodily harm while pointing a rifle and a handgun at them.

They provided the officer with a description of the vehicle.

At 3:42 am., an officer saw a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle. The officer returned to the apartment where the initial incident occurred, believing the offenders had returned.

Police made contact with three suspects inside the apartment who were detained without incident. Officers found an AR-15-style pistol and another handgun inside the apartment, police said, adding one of the handguns was reported stolen in 2020.

The three male suspects — two, ages 22 and 21 from Valdosta, and another, age 21, from Hinesville — face charges ranging from felony aggravated assault, felony possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and terroristic threats to felony theft by receiving stolen property — firearm and misdemeanor giving false name or birthdate to law enforcement, police said.

All three were also arrested on active unrelated arrest warrants.

"This was an outstanding job by our initial officer by continuing to follow up when he saw the offenders' vehicle, then great teamwork by our officers to get them off the street safely," Police Chief Leslie Manahan said in a statement.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.