Two Gainesville teens have been charged in connection with two armed robberies in Hall County.
The Gainesville Police Department confirmed that Emmanuel Mendoza, 14, and Ismael Mendoza, 16, were responsible for a string of taxi service robberies in the county, including one incident on Friday and another on Wednesday.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the teens were arrested by the Gainesville Police Department on Wednesday. The Hall County Sheriff's Office charged the two teens as adults with one count each of armed robbery. Additional charges are pending from the Gainesville Police Department.
The incident on Friday began when a male taxi driver, 46, responded to a phone call for a taxi service in the county. An unknown number of people pointed guns at the victim and demanded money after he arrived at the pickup location in the 1600 block of Floyd Road. The man complied and the suspects ran away on foot. Deputies searched the area but were unable to find any of the suspects.
The taxi driver was uninjured. The Hall County Sheriff's Office was unable to release the amount of money stolen during the incident.
The Gainesville Police Department responded on Wednesday to the second armed robbery in the area of Lee Street with possible shots fired. Authorities placed Gainesville High School under lockdown as police and school staff investigated possible threats at the school. They did not discover credible threats to school safety and in a Facebook post, the agency commended its officers and school staff for their quick response.
Gainesville Police are continuing to investigate the Lee Street case, and the Hall County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the Floyd Road case.
