HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Twenty-four adults and two juveniles were behind bars Wednesday afternoon. Deputies said they are involved in a series of cellphone store robberies in the Harris County area.
They have been charged with 54 felonies ranging from aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity to aggravated assault on a peace officer.
"These individuals held up victims in the stores at gunpoint and threatened to kill them if they were given phones that had cracker devices in them," said Sheriff Ron Hickman of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said the investigation started in September 2014 when they noticed the same names being brought up while interrogating robbery suspects.
"This group is called ABM, All Bout Money, an off-shoot from Crips. When (people) are recruited (the group) will give them credit to participate in the robbery," said Sgt. Mauro Alvarado of HCSO.
In one robbery at a T-Mobile store in Kingwood, deputies said an officer was shot at, but thankfully no one was injured.
Deputies say it appears 24-year-old Terrance Edwards or "T-streets" is the head of this robbery ring.
They said he would organize the robberies and was in charge of selling the stolen phones to a fence.
Law enforcement officials are also looking for a man who was captured on surveillance cameras. They believe his name is Jasper.
The sheriff's office said the following cases were closed from the arrests:
- 09/29/2014 12600 Woodforest Boulevard Fed Ex Truck
- 09/29/2014 14500 Longview Fed Ex Truck
- 10/10/2014 12700 Hidden Castle Drive
- 10/10/2014 5800 E Sam Houston Parkway N
- 10/15/2014 4800 Wilson Road T-Mobile Wireless
- 01/29/2015 960 S Beglis Sprint
- 03/18/2015 9500 West Road Verizon Wireless
- 04/03/2015 5185 W. 34th Street Radio Shack
- 04/13/2015 600 Block Maxey Road
- 04/15/2015 15735 Wallisville Road Verizon Wireless
- 04/26/2015 2123 Crosby Freeway AT&T
- 04/27/2015 2500 Green Oak Drive T-Mobile Wireless
- 04/30/2015 12661 W. Lake Houston Parkway AT&T Wireless
- 05/08/2015 710 Kingwood Drive Verizon Wireless
- 05/08/2015 12661 W Lake Houston Parkway AT&T Wireless
- 05/11/2015 710 Kingwood Drive Verizon Wireless
- 05/16/2015 10222 Gulf Freeway Sprint Wireless
- 05/21/2015 566 W FM 1960 Sprint Wireless
- 06/16/2015 5001 Aldine Mail Road
- 06/18/2015 11818 Airline Boost Mobile
Vincent Broussard