A 34-year-old transient who robbed a senior at a Riverside park and then attempted to force the victim to withdraw funds from his bank account pleaded guilty Monday to robbery and was immediately sentenced to three years in state prison.
Tyreez Daishon Marzette admitted the felony count under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped a related allegation against Marzette.
The deal was announced just as the defendant’s case called for a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Superior Court Judge Gary Polk certified the terms of the deal and imposed the stipulated sentence.
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, on the afternoon of last July 2, the victim, identified only as an elderly man, was leaving White Park after visiting friends when Marzette confronted him, simulating a firearm under his clothes.
Railsback said the defendant took money that was in the man’s possession, then “forced him to walk to a nearby bank to get more money from his bank account.”
“The suspect waited outside as the victim went into the bank, but he instead asked for help,” the police spokesman said. “Prior to our police officers arriving, the suspect fled the scene on foot.”
The senior was not injured. No firearm was actually used during the holdup.
Railsback said detectives soon confirmed the perpetrator was “a transient who frequents the downtown area.”
Nine days later, a police community volunteer spotted Marzette along Chestnut Street and recognized him from descriptions, prompting an immediate call to investigators, who took him into custody without incident, Railsback said.
The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.