HOUSTON — Four men were arrested in Beaumont on federal robbery charges in connection with a deadly armored car robbery in Houston.
David Nathan Taylor, 28; Prentis Leewood Delaney, 29; Coray Quan Brown, 32; and Jamarius Early Jones, 21, were in federal court in Beaumont, where they’re charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. (The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.)
The deadly robbery happened back on October 24 in the parking lot of a Popeye’s Chicken along Antoine Drive. Armored car driver Francis Hazzard, 68, was outside the truck making a cash pickup when he was ambushed, say police.
Editor's note: Video above is from October 2019, when the deadly robbery happened.
One of the suspects reportedly pointed a gun at Hazzard as they struggled over a cash bag. At some point during the struggle, the suspect shot Hazzard in the face, killing him.
The suspects got away with a bag of money, but it's not clear how much money was in the bag.
An investigation led the FBI to the four men, who were seen this past Monday in two separate vehicles driving from Houston to Lake Charles. They then went to Beaumont, where they were arrested.
Inside one of the vehicles, officers found two AR-15-style rifles, a pistol, three masks, three sets of gloves, five cell phones and two open bottles of rubbing alcohol.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison.
In October, surveillance photos were released and a $55,000 reward was offered by Crime Stoppers.