KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UPDATE 6 p.m. 11/27/2018: Federal prosecutors have charged three of five men suspected in a series of armed robberies across the Kansas City, Missouri and Independence, Missouri area.
Kansas City police said the group was arrested around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday following a robbery at a Phillips 66 convenience store and an attempted robbery of a Taco Bell in the 6200 block of NW Barry Road.
Vonterrious Humbert, 18, Tremaine Johnson, 19, and Henry Simmons 18, are charged in federal court with participating in a conspiracy to commit armed robberies and with using a firearm in relations to a crime of violence. Two juveniles were also arrested, but they were not charged in the federal complaint.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Humbert and Johnson robbed the Phillips 66 store while Simmons and a juvenile attempted to rob the Taco Bell. Another juvenile, acting as the group's driver, was parked by a nearby apartment complex.
All were arrested shortly after the robbery and attempted robbery. Prosecutors said Humbert and Johnson attempted to discard of a handgun and rifle shortly before their arrest. Johnson and the juvenile attempted to do the same with two handguns. Another handgun was found in the vehicle with the juvenile driver, along with a jar containing marijuana.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy also included eight additional robberies — five robberies of 7-Eleven stores in Independence and Kansas City on Nov. 21 and three more robberies at a Domino's Pizza, Sinclair convenience store and another 7-Eleven on Nov. 25.
Police said no one was injured in the incidents.
Authorities from the KCPD, IPD and FBI returned to the area Tuesday afternoon to collect additional evidence.
