LOS ANGELES
A federal grand jury Wednesday charged two Los Angeles County men in an eight-count indictment alleging they committed multiple armed robberies of 7-Eleven stores and another business in Los Angeles County during a six-week crime spree, officials stated.
Kyle Richard Williams, 25, of Inglewood and Colin Powell Lacey, 28, of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act).
Lacey is also charged with four counts of robbery while Williams is charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
According to the indictment, from mid-November to December 30, 2021, Williams and Lacey traveled together by car to businesses – usually 7-Eleven convenience stores – to commit armed robberies.
Williams allegedly entered the stores, brandished a semi-automatic handgun at employees, and demanded money. Meanwhile, Lacey waited in the vehicle parked outside the stores.
Williams and Lacey allegedly would then flee the area following the armed robbery.
The businesses robbed during the spree included six 7-Eleven stores located in the Hollywood, East Hollywood and Mid-City neighborhoods of Los Angeles as well as in West Hollywood, according to officials.
One smoke shop in the Mid-City area also was robbed, according to the indictment. Williams allegedly attempted to rob a 7-Eleven store in El Segundo on December 30, 2021, officials stated.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Each charge of Hobbs Act robbery carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.