Lilburn Man Arrested for Attacking, Robbing Eldery Man, Who Died from Injuries

Murder charges “are under investigation” for a Lilburn man already accused of attacking and robbing an elderly man, who died Tuesday, March 11.

Donald Manuel Thomas, 50, of 5086 Burns Road, was arrested on March 10 and charged with robbery and aggravated battery for the Feb. 24 attack on 74-year-old Frederic Cooper in a McDonald’s bathroom. The restaurant is located on Indian Trail Road in unincorporated Norcross.

According to Gwinnett spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith, Cooper was still in the hospital on Tuesday with injuries and complications from the attack when he died.

“An autopsy will be conducted in the near future,” Smith said in an emailed alert. “Murder charges are under investigation.”

Thomas, who also faces probation violations, was being held without bond in the Gwinnett County Detention Center Wednesday.

Thomas was captured on video surveillance, which police say showed him following Cooper into the bathroom and trying to take the wallet from his pocket. After Cooper resisted, the suspect “physically attacked him.”

Cooper suffered serious injuries, including a laceration on his face and a fractured back, according to police.