SAVANNAH,GA ( May 17, 2012) Two Savannah men face multiple charges after a series of events this morning that locked down a large area of Downtown and an area of West Savannah.
Kevin Dale Brooks, 26, has been charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault on a police officer, burglary, possession of a controlled substance and armed robbery.
Brian Jones, 23, has been charged with burglary, armed robbery, false imprisonment and a traffic offense.
Events began about 8 a.m. when Earl Hamilton, 60, drove up to Savannah-Chatham Police Domestic Violence Detective Trina Mayes on Broughton Street in a silver Jaguar, rolled out of the car and told her the man still in it had kidnapped him and was forcing him to withdraw money from a credit union. He later told police his 11-year-old son was being held at the house by an accomplice of Brooks.
Det. Mayes observed Brooks climbing into the driver’s seat of the car with a gun, aimed her gun at him and ordered him to halt. He continued to move to the driver’s seat until she fired a shot at him, hitting the top of the windshield.
Brooks rolled out of the car and ran, allowing the car to roll across Broughton Street and into the plate glass window of Saigon Restaurant.
Mayes pursued the gunman on foot into Johnson Square where other officers responding to Mayes’ radio call confronted him in front of the Pink House restaurant where he ran into the building.
Police surrounded the restaurant, evacuated it of employees and guests and locked down several blocks of Downtown for public safety.
SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team and K-9 officers entered the Pink House and searched it, finding Brooks hiding on the main floor. He was treated at an area hospital for injuries inflicted by Police K-9 Faust when he refused to surrender.
Meanwhile, Central Precinct officers had surrounded Hamilton’s residence on Milton Street in West Savannah where Hamilton’s son exited the house.
SWAT teams were brought in from the Downtown operation to search the house but before they could, Jones climbed in a Cadillac SUV parked in the closed garage, opened the garage door and sped in reverse toward officers. He then sped forward several yards into trees in a heavily wooded area.
SWAT and K-9 officers, aided by two SCMPD helicopters scoured the wooded area, eventually spotting Jones who was working his way toward Staley Avenue in the Tatumville area. He eventually was tracked down by K-9 Flash and taken into custody.
Hamilton told officers the two men had come to his house late last night or early this morning in search of drugs and money.
A search warrant was served on the house and violent crimes detectives are piecing together information to determine all that transpired. They pointed out that both suspects and the victim have multiple arrest records.
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