Shawn Ford, Charles Rogers, Hobbs Act Robbery, Ohio 2018

Cleveland Men Convicted of MetroPCS Heists

A federal jury in Cleveland has convicted two men of brandishing firearms while robbing MetroPCS stores last year and shooting at an off-duty Cleveland police officer.

Shawn Ford, 20, and Charles Rogers, 24, were each convicted on multiple counts of Hobbs Act robbery and using firearms during a crime of violence. They are scheduled to be sentenced on October 9.

The men robbed the MetroPCS store at 10959 Kinsman Road on March 21, 2018, at 11100 Lorain Ave. on March 25, 2018, and at 5853 Broadway Ave., on March 27, 2018. They also attempted to rob the store at 14701 Kinsman Road, also on March 27, 2018.

During the robbery at 5853 Broadway Ave., the suspects took more than $1,000 from the register. An off-duty Cleveland police officer, who was a customer in the store, followed them out of the store. He identified himself as a police officer and ordered them to stop. One of the suspects began shooting at the officer and 9 mm shell casings were recovered nearby, according to court documents.

About 30 minutes later, an officer saw a vehicle that matched the description of the car the suspects got into after shooting at the officer. The car was pulled over with Ford and Rogers inside. Inside the car was a spent 9 mm round, blue latex gloves and clothing that matched clothing worn by suspects in other MetroPCS robberies, according to court documents.

Rogers was wearing an electronic monitoring device with GPS capabilities on March 21, 2018, the date of the first MetroPCS robbery. The GPS placed Rogers in the vicinity of the Kinsman Road store a few minutes before the robbery. Sometime later the GPS device was tampered with or taken off Rogers, according to court documents.

This case was investigated by the Cleveland Division of Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Ohio Adult Parole Authority and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Crime Strategies Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly L. Galvin and Margaret Kane and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleina Thomas.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/jury-convicts-two-cleveland-men-using-firearms-rob-metropcs-stores