Two Philadelphia men have been arrested in connection with an investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office into a scheme to rob convenience stores and steal money gaming machines — including recent incidents in Lansdale Borough and Hilltown Township.
Brandyn Warren, 22, and Antoine Laster, 28, are listen among six principal targets of the investigation, with both men facing numerous felony counts of robbery, corrupt organizations, theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy, simple assault, and various other offenses. Both men are in Philadelphia County Jail in lieu of 10% of $750,000 cash bail.
The names of the remaining suspects — three men and a woman — are currently unavailable as they have not been taken into custody and their identities have been redacted from the 34-page criminal complaint.
According to investigators, Warren and Laster were members of an organized corrupt group that conspired to commit a total of at least 25 robberies across Philadelphia, Bucks, and Montgomery counties, including the 7-Eleven on West Main Street in Lansdale Borough and the Sunoco A-Plus on Bethlehem Pike in Hilltown Township.
The investigation began in August 2022 when the owner of several hundred Pennsylvania Skills gaming machines contacted the Attorney General’s Office stating dozens of his machines across the region had been broken into and the cash boxes had been stolen. Investigators said they quickly determined there had been an ongoing issue across the three counties since January 2022, and through thousands of hours of viewing surveillance, cell phone tracking data, interviewing witnesses and in-person surveillance, they determined Warren, Laster, and the remaining four suspects were allegedly involved in all 25 robberies.
Investigators said the initial robbery occurred in Philadelphia, and as the group continued to commit robberies and gain experience, their tactics evolved and improved.
“There were progressions in the scheme, plan, and design within their criminal enterprise as they gained experience from the commission of their first robbery together to the commission of their most recent robbery,” said Special Agent Kathleen Gorman, in the Affidavit of Probable Cause. “They demonstrated an ability to work together to the successfully commit these crimes over and over, usually with exceptional speed.”
On Sept. 3, 2022, at 3:30 a.m., Lansdale Borough Police were dispatched to 651 West Main Street for a report of a robbery. Investigators said two Black males entered the with one male holding the door as a lookout while the second suspect smashed open four gaming machines, before fleeing the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Less than two weeks later, Hilltown Township Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Bethlehem Pike for a report of a similar robbery. Investigators said two Black males entered the Sunoco A-Plus at 2:54 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2022, with one holding the door open and acting as a lookout while the other broke into two gaming machines and removed the cash box from inside. Both men then fled the scene in a Nissan SUV eastbound on Line Lexington Road, police said.
Additional local incidents included similar robberies of the 7-Eleven on Allentown Road in Towamencin Township and the Liberty Gas Station on North Broad Street in Hatfield Township, however it’s unclear if those incidents are part of the investigation. At the time, police said it was possible all four of the local robberies were connected, noting the similarities between the incidents, but no official connection was ever drawn between them.
When asked if the Towamencin and Hatfield robberies were included in the investigation, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office declined to provide further comment citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Liberty Gas Station in Hatfield Robbed, Suspect Targeted Gaming Machines
Thieves Strike Sunoco A-Plus on Bethlehem Pike, Steal Cash from Gaming Machines
Towamencin 7-Eleven Robbed Early Tuesday Morning, May Be Connected to Similar Incident in Lansdale
Lansdale Police Release Details of Weekend Robbery of 7-Eleven on West Main Street
