A Los Angeles County man is expected to plead guilty Friday to an indictment alleging he and a co-defendant committed multiple armed robberies of 7-Eleven stores and another business during a six-week crime spree last year.
Kyle Williams, 25, of Inglewood, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery, two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the indictment, from mid-November to Dec. 30, 2021, Williams and co-defendant Colin Lacey traveled together by car to businesses — usually 7-Eleven convenience stores — to commit the robberies. Williams allegedly entered the stores, brandished a semi-automatic handgun at employees and demanded money. Lacey allegedly waited in the vehicle parked outside the stores.
The businesses robbed during the spree included six 7-Eleven stores in the Hollywood, East Hollywood and Mid-City neighborhoods of Los Angeles as well as in West Hollywood. One smoke shop in the Mid-City area also was robbed, according to the indictment. Williams allegedly attempted to rob a 7-Eleven store in El Segundo on Dec. 30.
Each charge of interference with commerce by robbery — known as Hobbs Act crimes — carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, federal prosecutors said.
Lacey, 28, of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, is expected to plead guilty in L.A. federal court on Aug. 5.