Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Brandon Donathan, 25 of Knoxville, and Sarai Standridge, 24 of Knoxville, have been charged in connection to a spate of robberies or attempted robberies, including three that happened in the Fort Sanders area early Sunday morning. Both Donathan and Standridge were taken into custody following an attempted robbery in West Knoxville.
At around 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, October 27, 2024, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to the area of Luscombe Drive and Pocanno Road, where it was reported that a man wearing all black attempted to rob a resident at gunpoint. The suspect reportedly ran from the scene following the attempted robbery and got into a white sedan.
Another resident witnessed the incident and was able to get a video of the suspect and white sedan, and also witnessed the suspect toss a firearm into nearby bushes. A short time later and after continued investigation at the scene, officers spotted the suspect vehicle traveling west on Luscombe Drive. Officers stopped the vehicle and detained both occupants, who were identified as Donathan and Standridge.
Donathan and Standridge were both transported to the Public Safety Complex for further questioning. Through those efforts, detectives were ultimately able to connect Donathan and Standridge to three robbery incidents that happened near the UT campus.
That includes a robbery that happened near 11th Street and Cumberland Avenue, where a 22-year-old woman was robbed of her purse at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
Additionally, Donathan and Standridge were involved in two other attempted robberies, which were not reported to the KPD until Sunday afternoon. A male victim reported that a man, since identified as Donathan, attempted to rob him at gunpoint in the area of Clinch Avenue and 22nd Street at around 1:10 a.m. on Sunday morning. A female victim also reported that a man, also identified as Donathan, attempted to rob her at gunpoint in the area of Clinch Avenue and 17th Street at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Donathan and Standridge have both been charged with attempted aggravated robbery for the incident that occurred on Luscombe Road. Donathan has also charged with multiple additional counts of robbery or attempted robbery, in addition to possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Additional charges are expected on Standridge.
