4th robbery suspect arrested in Columbia

State law enforcement agents Tuesday arrested a fourth suspect in a weekend Aiken armed robbery that resulted in one of the suspects taking his own life.

Toryast Jermaine Johnson, 28, of Columbia, was charged with robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, 18 counts of kidnapping and one count of carjacking, Aiken Department of Public Safety Lt. David Turno said in a news release. He was arrested Tuesday in Columbia.

Police suspect Mr. Johnson took part in a four-man robbery at Burger King on York Street about 12:45 p.m. Saturday, Lt. Turno said. He is accused of leaving the scene of the crime, carjacking victims nearby and escaping their vehicle near Hampton Avenue.

SLED, Orangeburg Public Safety, the Richland County Sheriff's Office and the Winnsboro, Sumter, Denmark and Bamberg police departments assisted in the capture of Mr. Johnson.

Police found suspect Richard Lee Simmons, 24, of Columbia, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday afternoon after the robbery.

Two other suspects, Sean Mark Rodriguez, 25, and Robert Mills Jr., 27, both of Columbia, remain in the Aiken County Detention Center.

Law enforcement agencies are investigating the connection between the suspects and several armed robberies throughout the state, Lt. Turno said. KFC restaurants in Sumter and Winnsboro were robbed in late October, and the robberies share similarities to the Burger King robbery.

"The number of individuals, the fact that the employers were placed in the freezer, the weapons and the daytime robbery makes the incidents very closely related," Lt. Turno said.

Reach Stephanie Toone at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.