Trio Accused of Attempting to Burglarize Occupied Boca Raton Home, Then Fleeing Cops

Zymell Horace Buddy Cheatham (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

Boca Raton police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with an alleged burglary of an occupied home along with two juvenile co-defendants, following the participation of a police helicopter and K9s.

Zymell Horace Buddy Cheatham, of Fort Lauderdale, faces charges including burglary of an occupied dwelling, traveling across county lines with intent to commit burglary and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to arrest records and probable cause affidavits filed in court this week.

According to the reports, officers responded around 9 a.m. on May 13, 2026, to a home in the 4900 block of Oxford Circle after reports of a burglary in progress. Witnesses told police they observed unknown males attempting to enter the residence without permission. One witness reported seeing suspects inside the garage area of the property. The suspects allegedly fled on foot through the backyard when confronted. Boca Raton police officers, along with assistance from Broward Sheriff’s Office, K-9 teams and a helicopter, established a perimeter and conducted a search of the area.

Cheatham and co-defendant Javamos Johnson, a juvenile, were apprehended a short time later – Cheatham by officers who gave chase, and Johnson by a police K9. A second juvenile co-defendant, identified in reports as Lonnie Byrd, was also taken into custody earlier without incident. Johnson was wearing a full-face balaclava at the time of his arrest, according to police. The three men were all tracked by the Broward Sheriff’s Office helicopter, which utilized infrared heat-seeking sensors to find their locations.

Cheatham, according to the report, told officers he had taken an Uber to the neighborhood and admitted to trespassing in a backyard. Johnson reportedly said he came from Broward County by Uber to retrieve a bicycle and lost his phone during the incident.

Cheatham and Johnson are also charged with resisting without violence. Cheatham faces the additional contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge because he was allegedly in the presence of the juvenile co-defendant during the incident. Both adults listed addresses in Fort Lauderdale. The juvenile was handled separately under juvenile procedures.

Cheatham was being held Thursday in the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bond for a total of nine separate charges. Information on the two juvenile suspects was not available.