A Hollywood man faces sentencing Monday for his role in a series of armed robberies of mostly 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles during a crime spree two years ago.
Tazjar Rouse, 23, pleaded guilty in August in downtown Los Angeles to federal charges of interference with commerce by robbery, known as a Hobbs Act crime, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to the 2024 indictment, Rouse and three co-defendants committed a series of armed robberies of 7-Eleven stores in South Los Angeles and a CVS in Hollywood. The defendants traveled to the targeted stores in a BMW, jumped over counters, took money from cash registers and placed it into a bag, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
One of the defendants pointed a firearm at a store employee or customer and demanded either their phone or their wallet, the indictment says.
On Nov. 28, 2023, following the robbery of a 7-Eleven in South Los Angeles, defendant Jordan Leonard, 26, of Torrance, posted a photograph on social media with stacks of cash, captioned “love my bros we go hit every time,” prosecutors said. The social media accounts of other defendants were also tagged.
In total, court papers show, the four defendants netted $7,817 in cash during the crime spree.
Charles Christopher, 26, of Compton, pleaded guilty in March to two federal charges and was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
D’Angelo Spencer, 27, pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to seven years and one month behind bars. He was also ordered to pay a share of restitution.
Leonard pleaded guilty in January to the same charges as Rouse and is awaiting sentencing.