By C.J. Carnacchio
and Gabriel Ouzounian
An alleged armed robbery shattered the peace of normally tranquil Oxford last week. Soon after, neighboring Orion Township was the scene of a manhunt that closed off roads, as well as locked down nearby schools and a neighborhood.
Around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 3, the sound of a gunshot signaled a firearm sale at a residence in the 1700 block of Twin Lakes Blvd., in Oxford Township, turned into a crime.
Two Pontiac residents are now facing multiple criminal charges while a third 17-year-old Pontiac resident, a former Oxford student through the Schools of Choice program, is still under investigation.
Quesean Daniel Lee, 17, was arraigned Friday in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court on charges of armed robbery, larceny of a firearm and felonious assault, plus three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Lee’s bond was set at $100,000. He’s currently being held in the Oakland County Jail.
Lee has a preliminary examination scheduled for Aug. 17 before 52-3 District Judge Nancy Carniak.
The other suspect, an unidentified 16-year-old, is currently being lodged at the Oakland County Children’s Village facility in Pontiac. It is police policy to withhold names of suspects under the age of 17.
The 16 year-old was charged with armed robbery, larceny of a firearm and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Although the 16-year-old is currently charged as a juvenile, the Oakland County Prosecutor hasn’t decided whether or not the suspect will be designated as an adult in the case. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 9 in Oakland County Circuit Court Family Division.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, the former OHS student, who attended the school in the 9th and 10th grades from 2008-10, arranged for a meeting with another OHS student at the Twin Lakes Blvd. home to purchase a 12-gauge shotgun.
Sheriff’s investigators indicated the former OHS student waited in the vehicle while Lee and the 16-year-old went inside to make the purchase from a 21-year-old that lives at the home.
A 19-year-old, who also lives at the home as well as four other witnesses, were present.
While inspecting the firearm, both Lee and the 16-year-old allegedly drew handguns, pointed them at the 19-year-old and 21 year-old, and demanded they give them everything they had.
The 21-year-old shouted for the other to get another gun, which caused the two suspects to allegedly take the shotgun and flee to their vehicle.
Before getting inside the vehicle, Lee allegedly turned and fired his 9mm pistol in the direction of the three people who were attempting to follow him.
The vehicle left the scene with the former OHS student driving a short distance, before Lee took over the driving.
The car was later spotted by a sheriff’s deputy in the area of M-24 and Scripps Rd. in Orion Township, but before he was able to affect a stop, the vehicle pulled into the driveway of a residence on Amsbury Drive in Canterbury Woods Subdivision and the three subjects allegedly fled on foot.
Orion Township Deputies? Lieutenant Bruce Naile described the scene as it was told to him.
‘Once the original call come out, we got the description and we had cars out on M-24 immediately that spotted the described vehicle,? said Naile. ‘It turned down Scripps Road where all three suspects bailed out of the car. One was apprehended right away while the other two were able to hide for a while.
‘We caught all three over the course of couple of hours while making sure everyone in the neighborhood was locked up.?
The vehicle was impounded and three firearms were discovered in the trunk ? a 9mm pistol, .44 magnum revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun.
The former OHS student was taken into custody near Hampton Woods at 12:57 p.m.
The sheriff’s department used its K-9 and Aviation Units, along with patrol units from Lake Orion Village, Orion, Oxford, Brandon and Independence Townships, to search the area for the other two suspects.
They were ultimately apprehended on Avon Glen Lane around 3:30 p.m.
During their interviews at the Oxford Township substation, sheriff’s investigators indicated that Lee admitted he was at the incident with a handgun and fired a shot in the air.
Investigators said the 16 year-old admitted to being at the scene with a handgun and to taking the 12-gauge shotgun.
Anyone with any information regarding this case is asked to please call Sheriff’s Det. Jason Louwaert at (248) 969-0369.