Trio Accused In Hammer Smash-And-Grab Robberies Of 6 Cell Phone Stores In 1 Day
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Three men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the hammer robberies of half-a-dozen cell phone stores in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and have been linked to as many as 50 similar robberies across the region.
Tony Tyron Lee Stewart, 21, of Highland; Rayford Newsome, 23, of Compton; and Jerome Gregory Belser, 20, of San Bernardino, are in federal custody and are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Feb. 10. The trio has been accused of stealing $33,795 worth of merchandise, and have been linked to more than 50 cell phone store robberies throughout Southern California.
According to the federal indictment, Newsom drove Stewart and Belser in a blue Kia Optima vehicle on Jan. 15 to rob T-Mobile stores in Long Beach, Carson, Inglewood, Encino, and Camarillo, and an AT&T Wireless store in Woodland Hills. Prosecutors say Stewart and Belser used hammers to smash display cases and phone displays to steal iPhones and other electronics at each of the stores, while Newsome was the getaway driver.
According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in this case, GPS location data for Stewart's and Newsome's phones, and the blue Kia Optima, showed that the phones and the vehicle were in the area of the robberies when they occurred. Later that night, investigators used the vehicle's GPS data to track it down to North Hollywood, according to federal prosecutors.
The trio was found in the car after a short pursuit, along with devices taken from the Encino store, and hammers with distinctive handle coloring resembling the ones used during that robbery.
All three men have been charged with one count each of conspiracy and six counts each of interference with commerce by robbery.
