WASHINGTON — After months of repeated robberies at a Walgreens in Chinatown, police have arrested two store managers who allegedly took turns being the victims in robberies they helped plan.
According to The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Robinson, 33, of Maryland, Kamanye Williams, 24, London Teeter, 20, and Gianni Robinson, 26, all of Washington D.C., are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery and interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery).
The Walgreens that was hit six times in six months is located in the 800 block of 7th Street, Northwest.
Michael Robinson and Teeter worked at the Walgreens on 7th Street NW when the robberies happened. Michael Robinson was arrested earlier this month, while Teeter was taken into custody Thursday morning.
According to court documents, the Robinsons, Teeter and Williams devised a plan to carry out armed robberies of the Walgreens store in Chinatown nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023. The robberies were planned to happen during the times Michael Robinson or Teeter were working.
Since Michael Robinson and Teeter were managers, they were aware of the timing of cash transfers within the store.
In each of the robberies, police say a masked gunman walked into the store and forced an employee into the manager's office or accessed the office using a code, reportedly provided by Michael Robinson and Teeter. After getting the money, the gunman would leave through a back exit.
Officials claim Michael Robinson and Teeter took turns pretending to be the "victim" manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be recorded by internal surveillance. During one robbery, authorities say Michael Robinson asked Williams to hit him with a gun so that the robbery would seem more believable.
Prosecutors further allege that other robberies of the store were planned but never happened.
"Messages between Gianni Robinson, Michael Robinson, and Kamanye Williams show the co-conspirators constantly surveilled the Walgreens to see the amount of cash in the manager’s office and the location of armed security guards, in order to determine the best times to rob the store," officials said in a press release.
During one of the attempted robberies, Williams was shot by a Special Police Officer. He was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and subsequently arrested.
Additionally, the shooting by the SPO is being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team. Two guns were recovered from the Walgreens.
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