Another teen arrested in homeless attack

Katie Fretland

Sentinel Staff Writer

5:20 PM EDT, July 16, 2007

LEESBURG

A fourth teen was arrested Monday on charges of attempted homicide in last week's beating of two homeless men.

Investigators said Aljanard "Al" Allen, of Leesburg, was part of a group of six to eight young men who barged into an abandoned home wielding pieces of concrete and bats on July 7.

They attacked 53-year-old Robert "Glenn" Williams and 42-year-old David Lambert, who were struck repeatedly in the face and upper body, Leesburg police Lt. Rob Hicks said.

The victims were airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center where they recovered from their injuries. Lambert suffered a collapsed lung after he was stabbed during the attack and required over 100 staples to close wounds to his head. Williams was badly beaten in the face and had trouble speaking for days after the attack.

Authorities conducted a sweep of the area near the home on Picciola Road using K-9 units and a helicopter, but the attackers escaped on foot.

Detectives brought Lambert and Williams more than a dozen photos of potential suspects on Wednesday. Later in the day, Dominique Deloatch, 17, Marquis Duggs, 17, and Gabriel McNeal, 16, all of Leesburg, were arrested on charges of attempted homicide. The three go by nicknames of "D-Low," "Big" and "Kiki," according to an arrest report.

The men might have attended a party together on the night of the attack, police said. Robbery was not a motive, because they destroyed the victims' few belongings.

Lambert had a verbal spat with the suspects two weeks before the attack, he said.