Two charged with Myrtle Beach area robbery and kidnapping

An 18-year-old girl and 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with a Myrtle Beach-area robbery and kidnapping that was reported earlier this month.

An 18-year-old female victim reported her purse containing $2,000 cash, her cellphone, $320 in cosmetics and perfume, $1,200 worth of jewelry, along with her items was taken from her, police said.

Hakeem Hilliard and Genesis Villalpando are both charged with strong arm robbery and kidnapping, according to Myrtle Beach Jail records.

Villalpando was arrested at 9:41 p.m. Friday in the Carolina Forest area and Hilliard was taken into custody about 7:15 a.m. Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Police Station on North Oak Street, records show.

On Feb. 7, the victim showed up at the Myrtle Beach Police Station and told police she was robbed on Feb. 6 while riding in a car with friends who took her purse, sped up as she tried to escape the vehicle, then pushed her from the car near 21st Avenue North and Greens Boulevard, according to a police report.

The victim told police she was riding in a car with Hilliard, another man, and Villalpando and said the group was traveling to a fast food restaurant.

The group stopped to pick up a friend of the victim, but the suspect driving abruptly sped away from the victim’s friend before he could get in the car, authorities said.

One of the suspects then allegedly reached in the backseat where the victim was sitting and grabbed her purse and began to go through it. She said he handed it to another suspect in the car who asked her where her marijuana was, police said.

The victim said one of the suspects then reached for marijuana she had in a yellow bag, but said the bag ripped, and marijuana spilled out in the car and partially in the roadway during a struggle, according to the report.

The victim said she tried to open the car door to escape during the incident, but said the driver sped up so she couldn’t. She said she was pushed from the car once the suspects had her purse and marijuana and suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The victim told police another man in the car held her by the hood of her coat after she tried to escape the car, but no other arrests were made as of Saturday morning.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Two charged with Myrtle Beach area robbery and kidnapping."