Two ex-cons pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging they robbed two 7-Eleven stores in Los Angeles following a spree of no less than 20 similar robberies and attempted heists dating back to February, officials said Monday.
Marcus Toles, 48, and Damian Brown, 35, both of Los Angeles, are charged with interfering with commerce by robbery and using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
They entered the plea at an arraignment Friday in downtown Los Angeles. A tentative trial date of Dec. 7 was set.
According to the ATF, the agency began investigating a series of robberies of 7-Elevens across Southern California in September. Typically during the robberies, two suspects wearing ski masks, with one carrying a hydraulic rescue tool commonly used by rescue works and referred to as the “jaws of life,” would enter the store and go directly to the ATM, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Prosecutors contend that once inside the store, one suspect controlled the clerk, while the other used the rescue tool to gain access to the cash contained in the ATM machines. According to investigators, the same method was used in more than 15 similar robberies.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 2, law enforcement personnel arrested Toles and Brown immediately after both allegedly committed back-to-back robberies of two 7-Eleven convenience stores located at 4901 Santa Monica Blvd. and 1874 S. Western Ave., authorities said.
During the arrest, investigators allegedly recovered the stolen cash, a rescue tool, several firearms, as well as a stolen vehicle the two used to commit the robberies, the ATF said.