A group nicknamed the “Chesapeake Bandits” is being sought in connection with a series of robberies targeting armored vehicles across Los Angeles County.
The FBI is partnering with the Los Angeles, Hawthorne and Inglewood police departments to capture the wanted robbers.
Investigators believe the group is meeting and staging the robberies on Chesapeake Avenue in the West Adams neighborhood of L.A., and that the robbers surveilled the armored vehicle drivers beforehand, the FBI said in a news release.
The robberies then occurred in broad daylight, and the group has been linked to attacks with losses in the hundreds of thousands.
One man, Deneyvous Hobson, 36, has been arrested and charged with the crimes. Another man, James Russell Davis, 34, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint filed last month, but he remains on the lam.
At least five others are believed to be a part of the group, but they have not been identified.
The FBI on Thursday released surveillance images of them in hopes of apprehending them.
The group has targeted drive-thru ATMs and other businesses, including check-cashing locations, officials said.
“The suspects operate by overtaking the armored car driver when they service drive-thru ATMs or exit businesses. During the robberies, the victim drivers are zip-tied and held at gunpoint. They then enter the armed vehicle and steal the money,” the FBI detailed.
A shot was fired during one incident, but no one was injured. Officials are worried, however, that the robbers will become more brazen, and that someone may be harmed or killed if they are not caught.
“When you look at the tactics being used here, someone equated it to something that you see out of the movies,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said during a news conference Thursday. “The challenge with this is, this is real life. The weapons that we’ve described here will take lives.”
The FBI described the following incidents tied to the suspects in this case:
Around 8:50 a.m. Feb. 14, 2022, multiple suspects robbed a Sectran Security armored car driver at the Wescom Credit Union on 2871 W. 120th Street in Hawthorne. An AR-15 and a black semi-automatic handgun were seen, and a white Honda Accord was used as the getaway vehicle, officials said.
Around 7:50 a.m. June 9, 2022, multiple suspects robbed a Loomis armored car driver at a Bank of America located at 11525 Crenshaw Blvd. in Inglewood. A dark short-barreled assault rifle was brandished, and the suspects fled in a late-model silver or gray Chevrolet Equinox.
Around 12:20 p.m. Sept. 15, 2022, multiple people robbed a Brinks armored car driver at the PLS Check Cashers located at S. La Brea Ave. A black assault-style rifle was brandished and the robbers got away in a late-model gray Ford Explorer.
Then, earlier this year, on Jan. 9, multiple people robbed a Brinks armored car driver at a 99 Cents Only store at 3060 S. Crenshaw Blvd. A black assault-style rifle was seen during the robbery and a late-model black Kia K5 was used as the getaway vehicle.
Around 9:55 a.m. Feb. 25, multiple people robbed a Brinks armored car driver at a PLS Check Cashers at 2601 S. La Brea Ave. A rifle with a green laser was brandished and a late-model tan or light-colored SUV, possibly a Toyota RAV4 was used as a getaway vehicle.
Davis may be driving one of the vehicles registered to him, described as:
• 2008 White Chevy Tahoe 4-door SUV with a California license number of 7ABW490
• 2015 White Lexus GS 350 4-door Sedan with a California license number of 9BNL712
• 2020 Black Chevy Blazer 4-door SUV with a California license number of 8ULA955
A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered by the FBI in exchange for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Additionally, Brinks has offered to match the FBI’s reward offer of up to $25,000 in exchange for information leading to the arrest and indictment of a person or persons involved in the robberies of Brinks Armored Vehicles in the L.A. region.