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Couple arrested for robbery, abduction in Newport News

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22-year-old Eric Frederick Edwards; 34-year-old Leslie Denise Gilliam

Newport News, Va. – Two people are now behind bars in Newport News after police say they assaulted and robbed a man at a self storage facility.

At about 8:55 a.m. on Tuesday police responded to a report of a robbery from a person calling from the Shell Gas Station at 12089 Jefferson Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found a 48-year-old Newport News man who was suffering from a black eye with numerous cuts and abrasions on his face and head.

The victim told officers that the night before he was with a female acquaintance at a Self Storage facility at 300 Bell King Road when a man he knew approached him with a handgun and began kicking and punching him, demanding his money. The female acquaintance also got involved in the assault, police say. The man was then dragged into his van where the assault continued and he was eventually driven to a local bank where the suspects attempted to take money from the victim’s account.

After getting the money from the ATM machine, the victim was driven back to the storage unit where he was left unconscious in his vehicle. Hours later when the victim woke up, he contacted police.

Police identified both suspects involved in the incident.

Police have arrested 34-year-old Leslie Denise Gilliam, with a last known address in the first block of Clay Drive in Newport News.

Gilliam was arrested on Thursday in the 13200 block of Aqueduct Drive.

Police also arrested 22-year-old Eric Frederick Edwards, with a last known address in the first block of Spur Drive in Newport News.

Edwards was arrested on Thursday in the first block of Lewis Drive.

Both have been charged with robbery, abduction, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and four counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Both remain in the custody of the Newport News Sheriff’s Office.

Watch NewsChannel 3 for updates.