Vape Shop Heists: Two Richmond Men Jailed

⏱ 3 min read

Richmond vape shops were hit hard in March 2025, targeted by a crew of masked gunmen. Koriyon Demantra Weaver, 19, and Calvin Shawn Johnson, 43, along with a juvenile accomplice, are now facing serious time after federal sentencing. The duo violently robbed two vape shops within a week, leaving employees bruised and terrified.

The first hit went down on Semmes Avenue on February 12th, 2025, with Weaver participating. But the crew really escalated on March 2nd, bursting into a Semmes Ave vape shop armed, and bashing two customers over the head with their guns. They made off with cash and merch in a large SUV. A week later, on March 9th, they struck again, this time on Hull Street Road. Three employees were zip-tied, forced to the floor at gunpoint, and relieved of their cash and cellphones. Weaver allegedly pistol-whipped another victim during the second robbery before the crew bailed with a cash register.

Richmond Police weren’t left guessing for long. A traffic stop quickly followed, and all three robbers were taken into custody without a struggle. Investigators connected Weaver to the initial February 12th robbery, building a solid case. The Feds took it from there, bringing federal charges that carried serious weight.

Weaver copped a plea on August 20, 2025, admitting to two counts of using a firearm during a violent crime. On March 19th, he got 18 years behind bars. Johnson followed suit, pleading guilty on December 10th, 2025, to Hobbs Act robbery and a firearms charge. He received a harsher sentence, 19 years in prison. The FBI’s Richmond Field Office partnered with RPD on the investigation, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Katherine E. Groover.

This case falls under the Justice Department’s “Operation Take Back America,” a sweeping initiative focused on tackling violent crime and dismantling criminal organizations. But for the victims in these robberies, the focus is simply on seeing justice served.