JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police in Jacksonville have arrested two men in connection with two robberies and a double hit-and-run that left one man dead Sunday morning, and charged them with felony murder.
Investigators arrested 23-year-old Eddie Postway on Sunday on charges of possession of a firearm by convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm and theft of a firearm. They arrested 20-year-old Cyrus Benjamin on Monday on charges of armed robbery and tampering with evidence.
Both are now also charged with felony murder in the death of 56-year-old John Sikes and also attempted murder.
Police said two people were robbed and one of them hit by a car at a post office near Wesconnett Boulevard and 103rd Street on Sunday morning. Minutes later, Sikes was riding his bike when he was hit by a car and killed just a few miles away on La Moya Avenue.
IMAGES: Westside sees 2 crime sprees in 2 days
"Robbery was apparently the motive," Lt. Rob Schoonover said at a news conference. "It was sad; they ran over one victim and came back and ran over him again. The sad part is the victim on the bike was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was out riding a bike on a Sunday morning. They came by, hit and killed him."
Police believe the crime spree started at a bus stop on Wesconnett when the suspects approached a 71-year-old man sitting down and robbed him. Police said they didn't hurt him. Investigators said the man who robbed him was Benjamin, and he was riding a stolen pink beach cruiser and had a stolen firearm.
After that, investigators believe that suspects went to the post office right behind the bus stop and confronted another man.
That other man -- 58-year-old Dan Ellis, a longtime Duval County Public Schools employee -- told police the suspects robbed him and hit him with their car, then drove off. Ellis remained in the hospital Monday. His daughter said he's in high spirits despite what happened.
A little while later, not far from the post office, detectives believe the two suspects hit and killed Sikes, a man whose family says went for an early morning bike ride. Police said the suspects left that scene and dumped the car at a nearby apartment complex.
"Detectives asked Cyrus to come down to the station. He agreed," Schoonover said. "Once down here, he confessed to his involvement to the incident and said he was a passenger in the car and Eddie Postway was the driver."
Police said this crime spree is not related to a pair of robbery shootings in Avondale early Monday morning.