Three Southern California residents have been charged with carrying out a string of armed robberies at a dozen businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties during a two-week crime spree last year, prosecutors announced Feb. 20.
Antonio Lamar Bland, 36, and Abigail Luckey, 49, both of North Hollywood, along with Ronnie Tucker, 23, of Long Beach, allegedly targeted smoke shops, convenience stores, and donut shops between Jan. 29 and Feb. 14, 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to court documents obtained by The Epoch Times, the suspects allegedly robbed nine 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood, Burbank, Torrance, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena, as well as a smoke shop in Tustin and donut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.
The robberies took place between 10:30 p.m. and 3:45 a.m. Prosecutors said Bland and Tucker, typically dressed in hooded sweatshirts and face masks, allegedly entered the stores while Luckey remained outside in her 2011 white Chevrolet Cruze as the getaway driver.
In the middle of the robbery spree, Bland and Luckey took a brief detour and traveled to Las Vegas on Feb. 6, where they legally married before returning to Southern California for another alleged robbery on Feb. 8, prosecutors said.
After police began to investigate the initial robberies, the Burbank Police Department identified the Chevy Cruze and, under a state search warrant, placed a covert GPS tracking device on the vehicle, the complaint shows.
Investigators began surveillance on the Chevy Cruze shortly before midnight on Feb. 13.
Final Attempt and Arrest
The alleged crime spree ended on Feb. 14 at a Downey donut shop when an employee opened fire on the suspects during an attempted robbery, according to the DOJ.Authorities said the men allegedly entered the shop demanding cash and brandishing a weapon. Fearing for his safety, the employee ran toward the rear kitchen, with the suspects jumping the counter in pursuit. The worker then grabbed his own firearm and fired a shot, striking a wall.
The suspects subsequently fled the store. Law enforcement, who had been monitoring the attempted robbery, pulled over a vehicle containing all three suspects shortly after and recovered a firearm from the car.
“Any time someone takes a gun into a place of business to rob it, victims are traumatized, and there is a potential for tragic consequences,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in the DOJ statement.
Charges and Potential Sentences
Bland, Luckey, and Tucker each face one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery, three counts of robbery, and one count of attempted robbery.Bland and Tucker also face an additional robbery charge and four counts of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Bland, who has a prior felony conviction for carjacking, was additionally charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
The trio remains in custody, with a trial set for May 6. If convicted, Luckey faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Tucker and Bland face potentially longer sentences.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Burbank Police Department, with assistance from police departments in Tustin, Torrance, Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Downey.
