Four Suspects Arrested In Ambush-Style Home Invasion Robberies

Forsyth County authorities halted a Cumming crime spree involving four suspects who were arrested in connection with two ambush-style home invasion robberies.

Bethany Hood, 20, and Curtis Monaco, 25, of Cumming are charged with Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Financial Card Theft, Financial Card Fraud and Entering an Auto.

Trevor Benson, 19, also of Cumming is charged with Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault.

Phamethius Simmons, 23, of Atlanta is charged with Armed Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Financial Card Fraud and Entering an Auto. 

According to investigators, the crime spree began at 5 a.m. on March 19, with the first home invasion on Valley Drive.

The victim, Marco Luna, said after answering a knock on his door, one of the suspects armed with a handgun, reportedly forced the victim outside onto his deck and demanded money.

After Luna told one of the suspects he didn’t have any money, Luna was reportedly hit in the head with a pistol and punched in the face. Luna described the suspects as two white men who left the scene in a black passenger car.

The second home invasion occurred on Thursday, March 24 at 12:40 a.m. The victim, Francisco Tinocor, told deputies that during an attempted robbery at his Glenwood Place home, he was shot in the leg. The four suspects reportedly took an undisclosed amount of cash and left the scene in a black passenger car.

Authorities said the home invasions were not random that the victims, Luna and Tinocor, had been targeted.

The third incident happened just after 1 a.m. on March 23, when deputies responded to a call from a woman getting gas at the QuickTrip convenience store on Keith Bridge Road and Freedom Parkway.

The woman, Ginger Spencer, said while she was inside the store she turned to see what gas pump she was at and noticed her rear tire was smoking. When she went outside to check her tire, she was approached by Simmons and Hood who asked her if she needed any help.

Spencer said she went back into the store, but didn’t have her wallet. She returned to her car only to find the wallet was gone. She did notice that Simmons and Hood were leaving the gas station in a dark colored passenger car.

“These suspects were on a crime spree and it was just a matter of time before someone was seriously injured or killed,” said Lt Colonel Gene Moss, Commander of the Enforcement Bureau. “The investigation is ongoing and we are working with other jurisdictions to see if they have any similar crimes this group could be responsible for committing.”

All four suspects are currently being held in the Forsyth County Detention Center without bond.