Police arrested a 17-year-old woman Monday as the third suspect in an alleged break-in and robbery that took place early Saturday morning.
Two other men, Ronnie Burrus, 23, and Cordaro Murray, 29 were arrested Saturday for breaking into and robbing a Bloomington apartment and strangling one of its residents.They were each charged with burglary, robbery and strangulation.
The 17-year-old woman reportedly knocked on the door of the house for the group of three to enter. It appears that the woman knew the house's residents, but the other two men did not, said BPD Capt. Steven Kellams.
She was arrested at the BPD station and faces charges of robbery and burglary.
Early Saturday morning, residents of the apartment on the 900 block of West Second Street reported that three people armed with handguns forced themselves into the residence.
The group forced one of the residents, who was sleeping at the time, to get out of bed and onto the floor, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Brandon Lopossa, reading from a police report.
The suspects held the residents — a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman — at gunpoint and forced them to lay on the ground while they stole electronics from the apartment. The 19-year-old man was also struck in the face and strangled to the extent he had trouble breathing afterward, according to the report.
The group of three left the apartment in a taxi, police later verified. However, before officers arrived, the residents discovered that the group left keys in the apartment. By pressing a button on the key fob, the residents were able to locate the suspects’ car in the area outside the apartment.
BPD detectives obtained search warrants to search both the vehicle and a residence on the west side of Bloomington. In the house, authorities found two handguns — one of which was found to be stolen — and a clear plastic bag with suspected cocaine. In the car, they found another semi-automatic handgun and a second package of suspected cocaine that was packaged in a way that was consistent with dealing, Lopossa said.
After responding to the scene, authorities transported the male resident to Bloomington hospital with injuries sustained in the alleged strangulation.
BPD officials arrested Murray and Burrus later that morning at 1882 S. Pecan Lane and booked them into the Monroe County Jail.
This is not the first time Murray and Burrus have been charged with felonies in Monroe County. In August, Burrus was charged with a forced robbery, and in November, Murray was charged with possession of cocaine and driving without ever having received a license.
