Four Maryland residents are behind bars after allegedly robbing two people at gunpoint in a hotel parking lot before taking police on a high-speed chase through the city.

Tahjuan Preston Butler, 23, Drayvon Mekhi Estep, 19, Layla Celeste Freeland, 21, and Jeremiah Jermaine Nick, 20, were arraigned Sunday by Magisterial District Judge Kevin Stoltz on two felony counts each of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery and a single felony count of escape.

Butler also faces a felony count of fleeing an officer, single misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, loitering at night time, criminal mischief and DUI, as well as seven summary traffic violations.

Freeland and Nick face additional charges of firearms not to be carried without a license and two misdemeanor counts of simple assault. Nick was also charged with a felony count of person not to possess firearms and a third misdemeanor count of simple assault.

Butler, Estep and Freeland were remanded to the Blair County Prison in lieu of $250,000. Nick was also remanded to the Blair County Prison, unable to pay his $500,000 bail.

Altoona police officers were notified about 1:01 a.m. Sunday of two individuals who had been robbed in the parking lot of the Microtel by Wyndham at 1601 Valley View Boulevard. When officers arrived on scene, the four suspects, later identified as Butler, Estep, Freeland and Nick, fled in a black Hyundai Sonata driven by Butler, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Assisted by state police at Hollidaysburg, the officers pursued the Hyundai along 17th Street and I-99 before Butler took the Plank Road exit. Butler crossed Plank Road and tried to reenter I-99 via the southbound ramp, but then began driving in reverse back toward Plank Road, the police report states.

Butler then turned the vehicle around and drove the wrong way along the ramp before continuing in the wrong direction on Plank Road. The high-speed chase ultimately led Butler and officers to Union Avenue, where Butler struck a traffic light pole while trying to turn. During this pursuit, Butler had turned off the vehicle’s headlights to avoid detection, the report states.

Officers reported Butler exiting the Hyundai and leading them on a foot chase. Despite orders to stop running and to get on the ground, Butler continued to flee. Officers eventually held Butler at gunpoint until they could arrest him, according to the affidavit.

Once in custody, Butler vomited multiple times and officers reported smelling alcohol on his person. He was then taken to UPMC Altoona, where he consented to a blood draw. The vehicle was towed to APD pending a search warrant, police records state.

In an interview, the first victim said he and a friend were helping another friend search a vehicle for their phone in the Microtel’s parking lot. Butler, Estep, Freeland and Nick surrounded the car and Nick pointed a black semi-automatic pistol at the first victim’s head, according to court documents.

The first victim told officers that Nick demanded everything in his pockets and when the first victim tried to comply, Nick pistol-whipped and punched him in the face multiple times. Nick then took his belongings before aiming the gun at the second victim, who he also robbed, the report states.

The first victim said once they were robbed, the group told them to leave. He told officers he drove down the street, parked and had the second victim call the police, the report states.

In a separate interview, the second victim confirmed and corroborated the first victim’s version of events. The second victim said Nick took his wallet, which contained his driver’s license, $20 in cash, debit and credit cards, according to the affidavit.

A witness told officers Nick had the gun in his waistband when he first arrived at the hotel and that she heard Nick cock the gun before pointing it at the first victim’s head. The witness said after Nick robbed the first victim, he gave the gun to Freeland, who robbed the second victim, the report states.

Butler said he and the other defendants drove to the area from Maryland to hang out and party. He told officers he went to the Microtel to get a room but there were none available, so he began to drink in the parking lot. He claimed to have nothing to do with the robbery. When he saw police on scene, Butler said he got into his vehicle but couldn’t remember anything after, the report states.

Estep told officers he was present when the victims were robbed but would not say who actually held the gun and took the victim’s property, according to the affidavit.

A subsequent search warrant executed on the Hyundai Sonata yielded a black semi-automatic firearm with a flashlight attached in the vehicle’s center console. The gun did not have a serial number, the report states.

The four defendants are scheduled for separate preliminary hearings April 8 in front of Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones.