Four men held couple at gunpoint during Tickle Me Tuesday, Columbus police say

Four men held a couple at gunpoint at the After 5 Sports Bar & Grill during its Tickle Me Tuesday event, according to testimony Thursday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

Stanley Hood, 46, pleaded not guilty to several charges, including reckless conduct and fleeing to elude and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was booked into the Muscogee County Jail under bonds totaling $25,150.

Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Superior Court.

Columbus Police Officer Bobby Jackson said he was called to the After Five Nightclub at 1836 Midtown Drive around 12:22 a.m. Wednesday to investigate four suspicious people with guns.

Security guards told police that there was an altercation inside of the club between a man and woman. Four men followed the couple as they were headed to the parking lot and surrounded them.

“They all pointed pistols at them,” Jackson testified. “The female was on the ground and the male was holding his hands up in the air.”

Security guards followed the armed men outside and started yelling at them, giving the couple a chance to escape. The group continued to stand outside of the building brandishing firearms, according to police.

“They were basically waiting for anyone to come out of the bar,” Jackson testified.

Police said they spotted Hood and another one of the suspects backing out of the parking lot. He was allegedly headed east on Midtown Drive, but driving in the westbound lane.

Officials ordered them to stop and initiated a traffic stop, but Hood allegedly continued to drive toward Macon Road. He was allegedly traveling more than 120 mph, ignoring stop signs and driving outside of his lane.

Authorities said a 9mm pistol, bags of marijuana and a backpack containing scales and baggies were thrown from the vehicle during the high-speed chase.

Hood crashed into a tree on Pickett Drive, where he was taken into custody. The unidentified passenger escaped on foot.

Inside of the vehicle, authorities found an open can of Bud Light, an open bottle of Hennessy, multiple clear baggies, one .22 caliber pistol and a large clear plastic container with .38 grams of marijuana (street value of $4).

Hood was charged with two counts of reckless conduct and one count each of possession of drug-related objects, abandonment of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, driving in an improper lane, stop sign violation, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, fleeing to elude law enforcement, open container, possession of marijuana and colliding with a fixed object.

Officials have yet to identify or locate the other three suspects.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Four men held couple at gunpoint during Tickle Me Tuesday, Columbus police say."