Bond denied for Rock Hill robbery suspects in botched Craigslist deal

The victim in Tuesday’s Craigslist deal-turned-robbery drew his own concealed weapon on the thieves, who then fled, according to Rock Hill Police.

A judge denied bond Wednesday for two of the suspects, Cameron Brown, 18, and Drakkar Griffin, 21, who are each charged with armed robbery, criminal conspiracy and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Brown was appointed a public defender. Griffin said he will hire his own attorney.

A 33-year-old man said he arrived at the Stones Crossing Apartments on Riverview Road just before 11 a.m. Tuesday to buy an iPhone 6 he had seen advertised on Craigslist, according to a police report. He sent a text to one of the suspects before arriving and parked in front of the building in which the suspect said he lived.

Three men approached the man’s car, police said, and one of them sat on the curb in front of the building. The man said one of the three showed him a white and gold iPhone 6, and after “price-haggling,” the would-be buyer said he couldn’t buy the phone because it was still connected to the seller’s account.

The man with the phone then pulled a black handgun, pointed it at the victim’s head and said, “This is a robbery,” the report states. He reached through the driver’s window and took the man’s cellphone and $250 cash.

The man told police he pushed the gun away from his head, pulled his concealed pistol from his hip and pointed it at the men, prompting them to run away.

A K-9 tracking team responded to search for the thieves.

A short time later, officers talked with a woman at Heathers Square Apartments, police said. Officers said they could smell marijuana coming from the apartment and asked the woman if anyone was inside. She told them no and tried to close the door.

Before getting a search warrant, police said, officers conducted a protective sweep to secure the apartment, and they found Brown and Griffin inside.

Brown, Griffin and Toyana Hall-Potts were taken to the Rock Hill Law Center. Potts was charged with providing false information to police and later released on a personal recognizance bond.

Officers arrested Brown and Griffin within 30 minutes of the robbery, police spokesman Mark Bollinger said. Investigators are trying to develop leads on a possible third suspect.

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Bond denied for Rock Hill robbery suspects in botched Craigslist deal."