2 Detroit teens charged as adults in CVS armed robbery
Two 16-year-old Detroiters will be charged as adults, accused of an armed robbery at a CVS on Detroit’s west side last Thursday, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday.
Authorities saw that Laron Deshawn Walker and Corey Vernell Christopher robbed a 25-year-old Detroit man at a bus stop near the CVS on the 10000 block of West McNichols sometime just before 5 a.m. on May 25, but the victim was able to flee.
Police say the two suspects then entered the 24-hour CVS store, held four employees, including a security guard, at gunpoint, and forced them to open the store safe. The victims complied and the suspects took the cash. Then the suspects forced the employees, along with four customers, to the back area of the store.
At 5:05 a.m., two Detroit police officers arrived. By the time they got there, the eight victims had already fled the store. While Christopher was arrested inside the store, police say Walker tried to exit through the back door.
But police were covering the exit. Walker allegedly fired at police, but was hit when the cops returned fire, and dropped his weapon before being arrested.
Both suspects face a number of charges.
Both face eight counts of armed robbery, as well as eight counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery. They face one count of kidnapping, one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, two counts of assaulting, resisting and obstructing an officer, and nine counts of felony firearm, the prosecutor’s office said.
Walker faces an additional two counts of assault with intent to murder, and two more counts of felony firearm.
Christoper is expected to be arraigned Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at Detroit’s 36th District Court. Walker is expected to be arraigned from his hospital bed.
Even though the teens are being charged as adults, Detroit Police Department policy is to not release mugshots of juvenile suspects, said Officer Jennifer Moreno, a spokeswoman for the department.