Shawan I Spragans, Hobbs Act Robbery, California 2016

Shawan I. Spragans, 41, of Oakland, and Merl J. Simpson, 47, of Antioch, admitted in federal court today to a string of armed robberies that terrorized small businesses across the Bay Area in early 2016. The men pleaded guilty to multiple counts including Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy, attempted robbery, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and being felons in possession of firearms. Their confessions lay bare a calculated spree of violence targeting pharmacies, restaurants, and bars under cover of masks and loaded guns.

The duo admitted to robbing a Walgreens in Berkeley on March 3, 2016, where Spragans and a co-conspirator stormed in wearing masks and gloves, brandished a firearm, and stole cash while employees and customers froze in fear. Simpson waited outside as the getaway driver. Less than three weeks later, on March 20, the same team hit a barbecue restaurant on Shattuck Avenue, forcing three workers at gunpoint to stand still while they cleaned out the register. Again, Simpson drove the escape.

On April 7, 2016, the violence escalated at an Ethiopian restaurant on Telegraph Avenue. Spragans and his accomplice entered masked and armed with revolvers, pointed guns at two female employees, and stole the cash. When a third employee tried to flee through the kitchen, Spragans grappled with him—and fired his revolver in the man’s direction. The bullet missed, but the threat was clear: resistance meant death.

The final act came on April 21, 2016, when Spragans and Simpson attempted to rob a bar on Dolores Street in San Francisco. They walked in armed and ready—only to be met by police already staked out at the location. Cops arrested both on the spot as they tried to bolt. A third co-conspirator was caught waiting in the getaway vehicle, sealing the case.

Spragans and Simpson were initially held in state custody before being indicted federally on June 30, 2016. They’ve remained behind bars ever since. Under federal law, Spragans faces life in prison for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(iii), up to 20 years for each Hobbs Act robbery count, and 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm under § 922(g)(1). Simpson faces the same statutory maximums, though actual sentences will be determined under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Gullotta, with support from Michelle Alter Eck and Trina Khadoo. Federal and local authorities say the swift takedown and guilty pleas send a message: armed robbery in the Bay Area won’t go unanswered.

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