One caught, one sought in Lakewood armed home robbery

One of two suspects who reportedly held victims at gunpoint in their Lakewood home for drugs and money Tuesday is arrested in a matter of minutes, and another remains on the loose. 

Ajhawn Wallace, 22, of Manchester, is charged with burglary and robbery and was placed in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on $300,000 bail. The search continues for his accomplice.

An officer arrived at the Woodlake Manor home at about 3:30 PM, in response to a reported home invasion, police said.

The victims related that two masked men, one with a handgun, entered through an unlocked front door and demanded money and prescription medications.

Police said that they took several prescription meds and fled. They did not indicate whether money was taken.

Using a description of the suspects, two officers identified Wallace and a third arrested him without incident on Martin Luther King Drive at Cedarbridge Avenue, police said.

One suspect was described as a black male, tall, heavy-set, with dreadlocks, clad in a black sweashirt and sweatpants. The other, believed to be armed, was described as tall and slender, in a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Officer Michael Mooney Jr. is heading the search and the ensuing investigation. He can be reached at 732-363-0029, extension 5342.