Man doing security check at Myrtle Beach motel allegedly tied up in room and robbed; suspect in custody
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach police arrested a man after he allegedly held a man doing a security check at the Viking Motel at gunpoint before tying him up, robbing him and stealing his car, according to a police report.
Elijah Edwin Barker, 39, was charged with armed robbery, kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and booked into the J. Reuben Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. He remained in jail early Friday afternoon, online booking records showed.
The incident happened at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday inside the motel in the 1800 block of S. Ocean Boulevard. The victim told officers he was checking rooms for “security issues” when he noticed that Room 207 was locked with a deadbolt even though it was not supposed to be occupied, the police report said.
After unlocking the door and going inside, the victim told officers he tried to turn on a main entryway light, but it did not work, the report said. He then went into the bathroom and turned on a light. As he came out, he told officers that the suspect, later identified as Barker, pointed a gun at him.
The suspect then closed and locked the main door and told the man to sit down or he would kill him, the report said. He then took a sheet off the bed and tied the victim to a chair before taking his car keys.
The suspect then told the victim not to move for five minutes and left the room, the report said. He then took the victim’s car, which contained his wallet.
Officers later found the car in a parking lot near 21st Ave. South and Cassandra Lane, the report said. Barker was found nearby and arrested. He had the victim’s car keys and case that matched a description of what the victim told officers was in his wallet. Officers also found a gun nearby.
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Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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