EASLEY — After a two-day manhunt involving agencies from three different counties, Pickens County law enforcement arrested two brothers Sunday accused of a crime spree that allegedly began with them robbing their own father at gunpoint and stealing his car.
According to the Greenville County Sheriff’s department, 19-year-old Mickey Mayberry and his brother James, 17, are accused of pointing a gun at their father, robbing him and fleeing in his Jeep.
Greenville County deputies chased the Jeep on Old Easley Bridge Road near the Pickens County line and were shot at during the course of the pursuit, according to a release from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Easley police officers later recovered the carjacked vehicle Sunday morning, but the brothers were nowhere to be found.
According to reports, the suspects tried unsuccesfully to steal vehicles from two different people after wrecking the father’s Jeep, firing a gun into a vehicle as the driver escaped during one attempt. On the third attempt, the suspects were able to take a silver 2011 Jeep Wrangler, officers said.
Law enforcement from Greenville, Anderson and Pickens counties searched for the brothers Saturday night and early Sunday.
A Pickens County sheriff’s deputy obtained pictures of the brothers and sent them to all patrol deputies, who were able to access the photos on their in-car computers. Deputies began a saturation patrol of the Easley area in the belief that the brothers would be looking for another vehicle to take, and also began checking areas where the brothers might hide. Likewise, Easley PD officers focused on areas within the city where the brothers might hide.
Later, an Easley officer informed a sergeant with the sheriff’s office Directed Patrol Unit that two white males had been run out of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Easley near U.S. 123 and Prince Perry Road. Surveillance video obtained by Easley officers confirmed that the Mayberry brothers had been in the store.
At approximately 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning a deputy observed two males matching the general description of the Mayberry brothers walking along Saco Lowell Road near the Auston Woods apartment complex. The deputy exited his car with his weapon drawn and, upon confirming that it was the Mayberry brothers, ordered them to the ground at gunpoint.
Easley officers arrived and assisted in taking the brothers into custody. Minutes later, deputies located two backpacks in the woods near the apartment complex, one of which contained a loaded pistol.
The brothers were transported by Pickens County deputies to the county line on U.S. 123, where they were turned over to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
“This is an excellent example of cooperation and coordination between two law enforcement agencies,” Sheriff C. David Stone said. “It’s also a great example of how the initiative of particular individuals can have a huge impact on the outcome of a case. I’m very proud of my deputies, and commend all the Easley police officers involved for their efforts.”
According to Greenville authorities, the brothers face charges of pointing and presenting a firearm, armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and attempted murder. They are being held in the Greenville County Detention Center.