A former NFL player who played high school football in Gwinnett County was one of two men arrested in connection with the armed robbery of an AT&T store in Douglas County, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
Quanterus Smith, 27, of Lithonia, and Brandon Byse, 22, of Atlanta, allegedly demanded money and took iPhones from the store on Thornton Road, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
After leaving the store, the men were seen in a car a short distance away. Two sheriff’s officials tried to pull the car over, but the suspects drove away and a chase followed, according to the release.
The pursuit ended at Thornton Road near Interstate West Parkway with a PIT maneuver, a tactic that essentially involves bumping a vehicle in an attempt to stop it, sheriff’s office spokesman Jesse Hambrick said.
Both men were taken into custody without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
Smith graduated from Grayson High School in Loganville and went on to play college football at Western Kentucky University. He last played in the NFL with the Denver Broncos in 2014, according to his biography on NFL.com.
Smith, who was driving, was charged with armed robbery, felony fleeing and attempting to elude, misdemeanor theft by receiving and possession of a handgun while committing a felony, Hambrick said. Byse was charged with armed robbery.
Both men are being held without bond.
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