A jury has found a woman from Carson and a South Los Angeles man guilty of participating in armed robberies of local businesses that breathed fear into the community last year. Diavion Deshawna Mouton, 23, and Rodney Darrin Maxwell Evans, 23, were convicted of multiple offenses, including Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, as documented in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
During the trial, evidence established that Evans played a role in two armed robberies on August 14, 2023, with the actions taking place at Rite Aid stores in Bellflower and South LA's Vermont Square. Evans, alongside co-conspirators Makai Yusef Sanders and Kenyatta Kamar Jones, stole over $12,000. Displaying a stark disregard for human dignity, the crew forcefully demanded store employees to open safes under the menace of their guns in both incidents as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Mouton's involvement spanned two robberies on September 19, 2023, serving as the getaway driver for heists at a Walgreens in Glendale and a Wingstop in Lynwood, complemented by Sanders and Jones' armed intimidation which yielded $1,776 from these establishments. One chilling episode at Walgreens described an employee being coerced at gunpoint to the store’s safe; however, seizing an opportunity when the robber grew distracted, she locked herself in the office and contacted emergency services.
The culmination of the court's finding signifies a surge of accountability led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office where United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner slated sentencing for Evans and Mouton on March 31, 2025. "Violent gun crime leaves emotional scars that last for years," United States Attorney Martin Estrada pointed out, underlying the gravity of these actions. He reinforced the commitment to Operation Safe Cities, which prosecutes individuals who inflict harm on communities.
After their arrest on September 26, 2023, authorities recovered handheld firearms and clothing associated with the crimes during a meticulous law enforcement operation. Sanders and Jones have already pleaded guilty to several charges related to a dozen armed robberies and reached an agreement to be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Adrian Timothy Bedran awaits sentencing, while another defendant remains at large and a further colluder holds space in state custody on unrelated charges.
