Man accused of beating teen, threatening teen’s sister

A Flowery Branch man was arrested after Gwinnett County police said he repeatedly punched a teenager until he was unconscious after threatening to sexually assault the teen’s younger sister in a fit of road rage.

Duane Andrew Sudderth, 57, faces charges of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, first- and third-degree cruelty to children, entering auto and aggressive driving.

Police said Sudderth “flipped off” an 18-year-old Wednesday as they drove in the area of Peachtree Industrial and R.H. Smith boulevards, just north of Buford Drive. The teen returned the gesture, at which point Sudderth followed him, a police report states.

“According to the victim, the suspect tried running him off the road,” spokesperson Sgt. Michele Pihera said.

At some point, Sudderth pulled up beside the teen and said “he would rape his girlfriend,” who was actually the teen’s 15-year-old sister seated in the front passenger seat, according to the report.

Shortly after, the victims pulled into a private driveway on Buford Dam Road near Marina Way. That’s when Sudderth pulled in behind them, got out of his blue pickup truck and began to repeatedly punch the teen in the face through the window and continued after the teen got out of the car, police said. Eventually, the teen lost consciousness. He called police when he woke up.

“Over the next few days, the North Precinct Community Response Team followed up on the case. Utilizing (license plate reader cameras), they were able to track down the owner of the blue truck,” Pihera said.

Officers arrested Sudderth at his home Sunday. He was booked into the Gwinnett jail, where he is being held without bond. for the Coweta County city, a Newnan spokeswoman said.

Officers were called at about 12:15 a.m. to the Bullsboro Drive restaurant, police said in a news release. They arrived to find a man in the parking lot with a gunshot wound.

The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to an Atlanta-area hospital but died from his injuries shortly after 6 a.m. His name was withheld pending notification of family members.

A second man, Jacob Lee Vandiver, was taken into custody at the scene.

“Based upon the investigation, it appears the victim and suspect were at the restaurant together before the shooting occurred,” Newnan police said. “The shooting is believed to be the result of a verbal disagreement between the two men, which escalated into the physical altercation.”

Vandiver, of Fayetteville, was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was being held Monday in the Coweta County Jail.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Chris Robinson at 770-2542355, Ext. 155, or Detective Kenneth Horace at 770-254-2355, Ext. 171.