Two Los Angeles men were arrested early Friday moments after allegedly robbing a pair of 7-Eleven stores back to back, part of what investigators describe as a sprawling spree that has hit convenience stores across Southern California since February. Marcus Toles, 48, and Damian Brown, 35, both of Los Angeles, now face federal charges tied to the robberies and were expected to make their initial court appearances Monday.
According to MyNewsLA.com, law enforcement personnel arrested Toles and Brown in the early morning hours on Friday, immediately after the two allegedly robbed two 7-Eleven convenience stores located at 4901 Santa Monica Blvd. and 1874 South Western Ave. Investigators said they recovered the stolen cash, a hydraulic rescue tool, several firearms, and the stolen vehicle used in the robberies at the time of the arrests.
Toles and Brown are charged with interfering with commerce by robbery, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, the outlet reports. They were expected to make their initial federal court appearances Monday in Santa Ana.
A Signature Method: Ski Masks and the Jaws of Life
Investigators allege the pair relied on a consistent playbook: two suspects wearing ski masks would enter a store, with one controlling the clerk while the other carried a hydraulic rescue tool — commonly known as the jaws of life — and used it to pry open ATM machines for cash. The same method, per the same account, was used in more than 15 similar robberies.
Authorities believe Toles and Brown are connected to a broader spree of no fewer than 20 similar robberies and attempted heists dating back to February. The ATF said it began investigating the string of 7-Eleven robberies across Southern California last month.
Months of Targeted Hits Across Two Counties
The Friday arrests cap months of scattered reports pointing to a pattern. Back in January, investigators were already trying to determine whether a string of 7-Eleven robberies in Orange and Los Angeles counties were connected, according to the Orange County Register. That report detailed similar robberies at 7-Elevens in Buena Park and Santa Ana that unfolded late on a Sunday night into the early hours of the following Monday.
Southern California's 7-Eleven stores have proven a recurring target well beyond this single case. Los Angeles prosecutors separately charged Lorenzo Byrd and Samuel Mandefro with four counts of second-degree robbery, as NBC Los Angeles reported, after court documents alleged the two used weapons to rob two 7-Elevens on January 3 while employees were inside. Investigators in that case were also examining whether Byrd and Mandefro were linked to six additional 7-Eleven robberies and two shoe-shop robberies, and Byrd could face more than 43 years in state prison if convicted on all charges.
Other sprees have surfaced across the region in recent memory. ABC7 reported that five 7-Eleven robberies occurred in a single day across the Los Angeles, Baldwin Park and Pasadena areas, leading to the arrest of 21-year-old Jacuri Tobias along with two juveniles aged 15 and 17. And KTLA reported on a separate spree in which nine convenience stores were robbed, including one incident in which four masked suspects hit a Gardena 7-Eleven and fled in an orange Kia.
No information has been released publicly identifying the specific law enforcement agency that carried out Friday's arrests, nor have Toles or Brown's attorneys issued statements. The outcome of Monday's federal court appearances in Santa Ana had not been reported as of this writing.
