robberies – Michmutters

Tag: robberies

Categories
US

Accused Times Square slasher set free on violent robbery charges days before the attack

Accused Times Square slasher set free on violent robbery charges days before the attack

The creep accused of slashing an Asian woman in Times Square with a box-cutter had been arrested for a violent robbery just days before the random attack — but a lax Queens judge let him walk free, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Anthony Evans, 30, was cut loose on supervised release by Judge Denise Johnson on July 27, despite facing second-degree robbery charges for allegedly slugging aa grocery store worker and, in a separate case, swiping a case of beer, according to officials and records.

Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office cited Evans’ being free on a violent felony as part of their argument for why he should be held on $200,000 bail over the Sunday attack, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

The judge ended up ordering the suspect held pending a mental evaluation at the arraignment early Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Cops say Evans attacked a 59-year-old seamstress pulling a rolling cart on Seventh Avenue and West 42na Street on Sunday morning — leaving her with 19 stitches on her hand, according to a criminal complaint.

Evans was nabbed on robbery charges.
Anthony Evans was cut loose by Judge Denise Johnson days before the Times Square slashing.
Robert Miller for NY Post
He was arrested two times previously that week.
Evans is accused of slashing an Asian woman in Times Square with a box cutter.
NYPD

The slashing came only a week after Evans on July 22 allegedly stole a package of noodles from SkyFoods on College Point Boulevard, according to court records.

A manager, who spotted the theft on surveillance footage, followed Evans out of the store and got clocked in the face when he confronted him, the criminal complaint said.

Four days later, Evans allegedly walked into a Walgreens, picked up an 18-pack of Miller Light and strolled out of the store without paying, according to court records. A female employee grabbed the beer from him outside, the complaint said.

He was released after both arrests.
Evans previously was caught on camera stealing from a Walgreens and a SkyFoods.
NYPD

Evans was arrested July 26 and charged in both cases. He faces charges of second-degree robbery, which is considered a violent felony, as well as Petty Larceny, over the grocery store incident, records showed.

Prosecutors had requested bail be set at $50,000 during his arraignment on July 27, according to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney’s Office. But Johnson released Evans without setting monetary bail, according to officials and records.

Both those cases were added until Sept. 22, the DA’s office said.

The entire attack was caught on camera.
In the slashing incident, Evans faces charges of assault, attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Paul Martinka for NY Post

Evans is now facing additional charges of assault, attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon in the caught-on-video Times Square attack on July 31.

He was seen in the video rushing up to the woman, raising his hand above his head and bringing the apparent box cutter down to her hand, according to court records.

Evans also had two misdemeanor convictions of assault and a robbery for which he was granted youthful offender status.

He is due back in court Aug. 25, according to the Manhattan DA.

Johnson — who was elected in November 2021 — caught heat a few months later when she cut loose a reputed gang member charged in a bar shooting after cops tracked him down to North Carolina, despite even his defense lawyer calling $50,000 bail “appropriate,” The Post reported at the time.

.

Categories
US

California store owner Craig Cope recalls shooting would-be robber

California store owner Craig Cope recalls shooting would-be robber

An elderly California liquor store owner who flipped the script on armed gunmen during an attempted robbery said Tuesday that he had no choice but to open fire on one of the assailants, insisting it was “either him or me.”

Craig Cope, 80, said he feared for his life as four would-be thieves drove up early Sunday to Norco Market & Liquor in Norco, where he was behind the counter when one of the assailants busted in with a rifle and yelled at him to freeze.

“I got a long gun pointing directly at me,” Cope told The Post. “It was either him or me and I was a little bit faster.”

Cope said he knew something was off when he saw a dark BMW SUV pull up alongside the store instead of into several nearby open parking spaces. They also “backed in” as they approached, which was another “red flag” for the quick-thinking owner.

“I got a long gun pointing directly at me,” Cope told The Post Tuesday, adding that he feared for his life. “It was either him or me and I was a little bit faster.”
Fox 11
Surveillance footage from inside the store shows Cope firing the shotgun just seconds after the gunman announced the robbery.
Surveillance footage from inside the store shows Cope firing the shotgun just seconds after the gunman announced the robbery.
Fox 11

“And then I saw them getting out of the car in masks and with guns,” Cope continued. “So, I figured what was going to happen. I just knew they were armed and masked and that they were coming in, so I was ready for them.”

At one point, three of the suspects hopped out of the SUV, while a fourth man stayed behind to act as a getaway driver, Cope said.

Surveillance footage from inside the store shows Cope firing the shotgun just seconds after the gunman announced the robbery, wounding the would-be robber in the arm.

“He was screaming that I shot his arm off,” Cope recalled. “That’s what he said.”

Cope, who suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital after the shooting, is recovering at his Riverside home.

He said he intends to keep working at the store, but may soon cut back on his hours. That has nothing to do with Sunday’s attempted heist, which has characterized as a “terribly isolated” incident.

“I’ll be a presence one way or another,” he said.

Cope first purchased the store in 1976 and ran it for 19 years before selling it. He then bought it back about seven years ago. He declined to say whether Monday’s incident marked the first time the store had been targeted by criminals.

“I’m not going to release that one,” Cope said, adding the store had not been robbed during his most recent ownership stint.

Norco in Riverside County is not known as a “high-crime area,” Cope said. Many of the city’s residents own horses and the community is largely conservative.

“It’s not a good area for robbers to come,” Cope said flatly. “Many of the homeowners are conservatives and probably armed. These guys didn’t do their homework.”

Authorities tracked down the four suspects at a Southern California hospital, where one had a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

At one point, three of the suspects hopped out of the SUV, while a fourth man stayed behind to act as a getaway driver, Cope said.
At one point, three of the suspects hopped out of the SUV, while a fourth man stayed behind to act as a getaway driver, Cope said.
Fox 11

Three suspects being held on $500,000 bond were identified as Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, Calif., Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas.

Sheriff’s officials praised Cope for preventing a “violent crime” while ensuring his own safety as he was confronted by multiple armed suspects.

Cope — who grew up in Illinois, where he hunted for food as a child — said he doesn’t regret his actions.

“It’s not going to be on my mind or keep me from doing anything,” he told The Post. “It’s not going to change how I operate. I’m already alert and pay attention to my surroundings at all times.”

.

Categories
US

California liquor store owner shoots would-be armed robber

California liquor store owner shoots would-be armed robber

An elderly convenience store owner in California is being hailed as a hero after he shot at a would-be robber who ran out of the store screaming his arm was “shot off.”

Shocking surveillance footage from Norco Market & Liquor at the 2800 block of Clark Avenue in Norco, Calif., showed a masked assailant entering the business at about 2:47 am with an AR-15-style rifle pointed at the 80-year-old store-owner.

The suspect yelled, “Freeze, hands in the air,” but within seconds, the quick-thinking store owner pulled out his own rifle from under the counter and immediately shot once at the robber, hitting him in the arm.

Video footage further showed another man getting out of a black BMW SUV, but he stopped and got back inside the vehicle once he saw the first suspect run out of the store repeatedly screaming, “He shot my arm off!”

Suspect pointing gun.
The three suspects involved in the attempted robbery were all caught, with the suspect who was shot in the hospital in critical but stable condition.
Fox11

Riverside County Sheriff’s officials arrested three suspects—Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, Calif., Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, of Las Vegas, Nevada—at a local hospital.

The primary suspect, a 23-year-old man, remained in critical but stable condition at the hospital, officials said. His identity is being held pending his release from the hospital.

“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety, while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” Riverside County Sheriff’s said in a press release. “This investigation is active and ongoing and no additional information will currently be released.”

Employees at Norco Market & Liquor said the owner was watching the store cameras as the SUV pulled into the parking lot. Once he saw the first assailant get out of the SUV and pull a mask over his face from him, the owner immediately went for his rifle.

Store owner.
The 80-year-old store owner did not hesitate to defend himself and his business when the suspect entered with his rifle pointing directly at him.
Fox11

“He just prepared himself … and he stood right here, aimed and shot,” store manager Marnia Tapia told Fox11.

Suspect number two.
The two other suspects frantically drove off after the suspect who was shot ran shouting, “He shot my arm off,” into the car.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Employees said the owner was not at the store on Monday, but Fox11 reported the man suffered a heart attack right after the shooting. He is expected to recover and will be discharged from the hospital sometime Monday night.

Sheriff’s officials said the SUV used in the attempted robbery was stolen and numerous stolen firearms were also found inside the vehicle.

Johnson, Williams and Broadus were booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside for robbery and conspiracy. They are being held in jail in lieu of a $500,000 bail.

The primary suspect will also be booked at the facility once he is released from the hospital, officials said.

.

Categories
US

Flashy NYC bishop robbed of $1M re-enacts jewelry heist at service

Flashy NYC bishop robbed of $1M re-enacts jewelry heist at service

The Gucci-loving Brooklyn bishop robbed during a livestreamed service bizarrely re-enacted the crime at his prayer meeting Sunday — including by hitting the floor as if taking cover again.

“I need you to get back in position when the three men came in here with them guns out. I gotta get back into position, ”flamboyant Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead said, addressing his congregation of him, including those watching him on Zoom, as he made a“ voosh ”sound and stepped behind his podium.

“As I began to preach, I saw the door open,” Miller-Whitehead, 44, recalled of last week’s million-dollar-plus jewelry heist. “And I looked, and I said, ‘OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.’

The bishop — who denied Friday that the sensational crime was part of any purported insurance scam — added, “As I got down on the floor, I told my church, ‘Y’all get out.’ “

That’s when he splayed his body out on the floor for dramatic effect, according to video captured by The Post.

Miller-Whitehead, who has an alleged history of grifting and served time in prison for identity theft and grand larceny, lost more than an estimated $1 million in jewelry in the incident.

Bishop Lamor Whitehead, (pictured, re-enacting the robbery when he hit the ground) preaching one week after he was robbed during his sermon.
Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead re-enacted how he reacted when he was robbed during a sermon last week.
Gregory P Mango
Bishop Lamor Whitehead, (pictured) preaching one week after he was robbed during his sermon.
Miller-Whitehead denied that the sensational crime was part of any purported insurance scam.
Gregory P Mango
Whitehead gets on the ground during the robbery.
The robbers took a $75,000 Rolex watch, $75,000 Cavalier watch and several crosses worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

The bishop told his congregants Sunday that God would bring him back “double” what he lost, likening himself to the Bible’s King David when David faced off the Amalekites and saw his wives captured.

“Don’t think that God allows somebody to come here and steal something for him not to give us double. This is what the Bible says,” Miller-Whitehead said. “David recovered all.”

The gold-and-gem-dripping clergyman — who tools around in luxury vehicles such as a Rolls Royce — has battled back against critics who claim his high-flying lifestyle made him a ripe target for crooks.

Rolls Royce owned or leased by Bishop Lamor Whitehead.
Miller-Whitehead owns several luxurious items, including a Rolls Royce car.
Gregory P Mango

The bishop has blamed the caught-on-video robbery in part on media coverage of his cozy relationship with Mayor Eric Adams.

The robbers’ massive haul last week included a $75,000 Rolex watch, $75,000 Cavalier watch and several crosses worth tens of thousands of dollars each.

“Fendi, Louis, and Gucci, why can’t we wear that in church? What’s wrong with that? the pastor said at a press conference last week.

The burglar looks into the camera.
The robbery was caught on the live stream camera.

It also surfaced last week that Miller-Whitehead is the target of a lawsuit accusing him of bilking a parishioner out of her $90,000 life savings in 2020.

Mayor Adams has defended his relationship with the clergyman, with Hizzoner saying he has an “obligation to mentor other black men that had negative encounters in their lives and other people in general.”

.