Justin Washington, Hobbs Act Robbery, California 2020

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Table of Contents

Armed Robbery Spree Leaves Trail of Destruction

LOS ANGELES – A five-day armed robbery spree left a trail of destruction across the Los Angeles area, with a total loss of approximately $5,679.

A 14-count federal grand jury indictment has been returned against Justin Washington, 32, of Gardena, alleging he committed the robbery spree between November 30 and December 4, 2020. The indictment charges Washington with 11 counts of Hobbs Act robbery and three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the indictment, Washington robbed and attempted to rob 10 businesses in the South Bay and in South Los Angeles, including four donut shops, a 7-Eleven store, a grocery store, a wireless phone store, a dry cleaner business, and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store. He also attempted to rob a veterinarian’s office in Gardena.

During the robberies, Washington allegedly held the stores’ employees against their will, including at gunpoint, in three separate incidents.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A violation of the Hobbs Act carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The offense of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Torrance Police Department, the Gardena Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Sara B. Milstein of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.