Teens charged with masked Halloween robberies in Tacoma
Nov 5, 2012, 2:52 PM | Updated: 3:13 pm
A series of masked robberies committed on Halloween evening in Tacoma were traced back to five teens who have now been charged with four robberies at gun point.
Zyion Houston-Sconiers, 17, Treson Roberts, 16, Amancio Tolbert, 16 have been charged with five counts of Robbery in the First Degree and Conspiracy to Commit Robbery. Two others, a 15-year-old and 13-year-old have been also charged with the same crimes in juvenile court.
The first two robberies were seeming ‘tricks.’ The group held up two separate groups of trick-or-treaters, allegedly saying “This is a stick up, give me everything you’ve got.”
In the first robbery the teens took a pillowcase full of candy and their victims’ backpacks. In the second robbery, they took candy and one of the victim’s red devil mask.
According to prosecutors, the teens approached a man getting out of his car to go to a friend’s house around 10 p.m. Wearing a hockey mask, one of the defendants pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his wallet. The victim told him he didn’t have a wallet and they took his cell phone instead.
The robbers ran away on foot and shortly after encountered another man and then stole his phone as well.
A K-9 unit directed police to a parked Cadillac sedan where the five teens were attempting to hide. Inside the car, police discovered a .22 caliber revolver, cell phones, a hockey mask, a red devil mask, backpacks, a pillowcase full of candy and blue bandanas.
“Three of these defendants are charged as adults because of their age and seriousness of the crimes,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “There will be full accountability for everyone involved in these dangerous armed robberies.”
