LOS ANGELES, CA — Three people have been sentenced to 13 years in state prison for their involvement in a robbery spree in 2024 in which lottery tickets and other merchandise valued at more than $200,000 were taken, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Darrick Johnson, 29, and Taivyon Spells, 20, both of Los Angeles, each pleaded no contest to 11 felony counts of second-degree robbery, while James Guillermo Guyton, 29, of Los Angeles, pleaded no contest to five felony counts of second-degree robbery, two felony counts of grand theft and one felony count of possession of ammunition by a felon with an allegation that the offense was committed while he was free on bail, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
A bench warrant remains outstanding for a fourth defendant, Jose Guzman Ferreyra, 28, of Los Angeles, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities allege that the defendants were involved in 28 coordinated robberies of 7-Eleven stores across southern Los Angeles County between February 2024 and April 2024 at which multiple suspects entered a store, went behind the cashier’s counter and stole merchandise before fleeing.
In several cases, employees were threatened or physically assaulted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators were able to track the stolen California Lottery tickets using unique serial numbers, linking the thefts to their redemption at various independent stores, according to the District Attorney’s Office, which added that surveillance footage captured the defendants redeeming the stolen tickets.
“These defendants carried out a coordinated, repeat robbery operation that targeted dozens of stores, put workers in grave danger, and showed a complete disregard for the law,”
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement announcing the defendants’ sentences. “Each of them will spend 13 years in state prison — a clear consequence for their repeated, brazen crimes.
“7-Eleven stores are owned often by individuals or families, who are the franchisees and who have put their life savings into owning the stores. These robberies were not from just stores, but from people and families and the workers who show up every day to serve their customers.”
The case stemmed from an investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Police Department, with assistance from the California State Lottery Law Enforcement Division and the Bell Gardens, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, South Gate and Torrance police departments.
City News Service