Pair arrested for attempted armed robbery in Avondale area

CHARLESTON - Police charged two men with attempted robbery Friday after a failed attempt to take money from a man sitting in his truck on Daniel Street, according to a statement from Charleston Police Department Public Information Officer Charles Francis.

Joseph Jerome Jenkins, 18, of Stinson Drive, and Robert Lee Coaxum, 19, of Dunwell Road in Wadmalaw were charged with attempted armed robbery on Friday.

According to a police report, the pair, and a third as yet unidentified suspect, approached a man sitting in his car on Daniel Street shortly after he left the nearby Voodoo Lounge around 1:30 a.m. Friday. All three were wearing black clothing and at least two of them were armed and wearing masks. The victim told officers he put his truck in reverse and sped off, calling 9-1-1 after he left the parking lot.

The report said Jenkins and Coaxum were seen running across Savannah Highway after the incident and were caught after a short foot chase. Officers recovered a red clown mask and a BB style firearm near the location where Jenkins and Coaxum were apprehended.