Three people, including a married couple, have been charged in connection with a more than two-week robbery spree of a dozen Southern California businesses, federal authorities said Thursday.
In a news release announcing the grand jury indictment, officials with the Department of Justice alleged that between Jan. 29 and Feb. 14, 2024, 36-year-old Antonio Lamar Bland and 49-year-old Abigail Luckey, both residents of North Hollywood, along with 23-year-old Long Beach resident Ronnie Tucker, robbed 12 businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Prosecutors said the robberies were typically executed late at night, with Bland and Tucker entering each business wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks. Luckey reportedly acted as the getaway driver in several of the robberies, waiting in a white four-door sedan she owned for the two men to run out of the business and flee in her vehicle.
The commercial robberies, according to the indictment, include a smoke shop in Tustin, nine 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood, Burbank, Van Nuys, Torrance, Long Beach, Glendale and Pasadena.
The trio is also accused of hitting two donut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.
On Feb 6, 2024, Luckey and Bland drove to Las Vegas where they got married, the release noted. They then returned to the Southland and reportedly committed their next robbery on Feb 8, 2024.
Their alleged robbery spree ended in the Downey donut shop when, according to the DOJ, an employee saw a handgun tucked into the waistband of one of the suspects, possibly Bland, and while fearing for his life, grabbed his gun and fired at least one round to scare the men.
It’s unclear if the trio was under surveillance, but federal authorities say law enforcement witnessed the attempted Downey robbery and as Bland and Tucker fled the area with Luckey behind the wheel followed the vehicle before eventually pulling them over.
During a search of the vehicle, a firearm was recovered, authorities said.
“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,” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “If convicted, these individuals face significant prison time.”
All three have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery, three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
Bland and Tucker have been charged with an additional count of robbery and four counts of brandishing a firearm in the commission of violence. Bland, who has a previous felony conviction for carjacking, was also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
The trio remains in custody, with a trial date scheduled for May 6.
If convicted as charged, Luckey faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Tucker faces a minimum sentence of 28 years in federal prison, while Bland could get a maximum sentence of 58 years.
