Four Adults arrested after armed robbery spree and murder.

 (Mesa, AZ. October 28, 2020)

Mesa Police Detectives arrested four adults connected to a string of crimes including armed robbery and the murder of 38-year-old Brandon Van. The suspects were identified as:

Jaquan Jaheem Bailey (18-years-old),

Stephon Mitchell (18-years-old),

Vincent Culbreath (38-years-old) and

Ashley Herrell (37-years-old).

The first incident occurred at a convenience store called, “In the Zone”, 1163 W Broadway in Mesa. While the three men were inside the store, Culbreath stole two bottles of alcohol. When a clerk attempted to stop him, Culbreath displayed a handgun.

Soon after, around 12pm, Bailey, Mitchell, Culbreath, and Herrell were in the area of 1700 W. Bentley in Mesa when they stopped to talk to Brandon Van, appearing to ask him for directions. Van then walked away. Surveillance video shows Culbreath contact Van again and try to rob him. The three men chased Van while firing shots. Van tried to hide in the neighborhood behind a planter. Van eventually surrendered his backpack as the suspects shot at him. Van was then physically assaulted and shot multiple times at close range, killing him. The suspects ran back to the vehicle and fled the area.

The suspects then went to another area in east Mesa where they stole four tires from outside a home. The four suspects next went to the town of Guadalupe, where they attempted a third armed robbery. In Guadalupe, a woman intervened and was subsequently shot. She is in critical condition but expected to survive.

The group’s final stop was in Phoenix, where they had an argument over a gun. Shots were fired, police were called, and they were arrested. Additional charges are pending regarding the series of crimes that occurred before and after the murder. All four were booked into jail on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges.

Vincent Culbreath

Stephon Mitchell

Jaquan Jaheem Bailey

Ashley Herrell

4 DAY CRIME SPREE ENDS WITH 19 FELONY CHARGES/ 6 CASES CLOSED

 

The Mesa Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and East Valley Wanted Offender Task Force located violent offender, 34yo Guillermo Reyes, at a hotel in Chandler.  With the assistance of Chandler Police Department’s Robbery/ Homicide Unit and SWAT team, Guillermo was taken into custody and booked for 19 felony charges.  Guillermo went on a four-day crime spree that affected the City of Mesa and Chandler to include multiple Armed Robberies, Stolen Vehicles, and Aggravated Assaults.  The crimes occurred between September 29- October 2, finally ending with Guillermo being arrested in Chandler on October 9, 2020.  The arrest of Guillermo Reyes brought a close to 6 open cases.   

It all started on September 29, 2020 around 6:46pm when Guillermo opened fire on two victims outside Diamond Sport’s Grill located at 161 N. Centennial Way in Mesa.  At least 12 rounds were fired at the victims, who were seated in their vehicle.  Both victims suffered minor grazing wounds.  Neither victim knew why they were fired upon or what might have precipitated the suspect’s actions.                                                                                                                                    

Witnesses described the shooter as a short, stocky Hispanic male wearing a blue LA Dodgers baseball cap and fleeing in a black Cadillac Escalade. 

Around 7:13pm, Guillermo robbed a third victim at gunpoint and took their purple Mercedes C320.  The robbery occurred at 1233 N. Mesa Dr in Mesa.  It was at this location that police found the black Cadillac Escalade abandoned.

While taking the stolen vehicle report, police were approached by three more victims.  They were working on a Ford Escape in the parking lot that would not start. Guillermo initially approached them and tried to rob them at gunpoint, but when told the vehicle would not start, he walked away. He took the Mercedes shortly after this event.

At 8:11pm.  Guillermo robbed Tom’s BBQ located at 5005 E. McKellips Rd in Mesa at knife point, making this business and employee his seventh and eighth victims. 

The night ended at 11:57pm when officers were dispatched to an abandoned vehicle in the intersection of Guadalupe/ Springwood in Mesa.  The vehicle was found to be the stolen Mercedes C320.  It was unoccupied and out of fuel.  Inside the vehicle were discarded food containers from Tom’s BBQ as well as Guillermo’s fingerprints.

On October 1, 2020 around 6:34pm, Guillermo robbed a ninth victim at gunpoint and took their GMC Sierra pickup truck.  The robbery occurred in the 200 block of E. Grandview in Mesa.  At the time of the robbery, Guillermo placed a backpack in the bed of the truck.  Unbeknownst to him, there was a hole in the bed and the backpack fell to the ground.  Inside the backpack was a blue LA Dodgers baseball cap.

On October 2, 2020 around 4:19pm, the stolen GMC Sierra was recovered in the 500 block of W. Erie in Chandler after being abandoned.  Fingerprints belonging to Guillermo were found inside. 

A short time later, Guillermo robbed a tenth victim on the same street at gunpoint.  He forced the victim inside his home and made him take off his clothes.  Guillermo took off his own clothes and put on the victim’s clothing, which included a camouflage shirt.  He left his clothes behind and fled in the victim’s blue Ford Mustang.

Next, Guillermo went to a Fry’s Grocery Store located at 1950 W. Ray Rd in Chandler.  Here, he robbed an eleventh victim at gunpoint.  He stole their silver Jeep Grand Cherokee and then fled into Mesa.

As the day continued, around 4:53pm, Guillermo ran into a twelfth victim’s garage in the 2100 block of S. Catarina in Mesa.  He stole their Infiniti Q40 at gunpoint.  The victim stated the suspect was wearing a camouflage shirt.  The Jeep Grand Cherokee was left at the scene as Guillermo fled in a new stolen vehicle.

On October 4, 2020, the Infiniti Q40 was recovered at the Tempe Marketplace.  Guillermo’s fingerprints were found in the vehicle along with the camouflage shirt belonging to the victim of the blue Ford Mustang and a receipt for Walgreens.  Video surveillance from the Walgreens showed a male subject wearing the camouflage shirt entering the store after the robbery.

This victim reported numerous credit cards stolen at the time Guillermo took the Infiniti Q40, two of which were used on at least three occasions after the robbery. 

On October 6, 2020, one of the card’s was used at a Fry’s Grocery Store in Scottsdale.  Video from that Fry’s shows Guillermo making a purchase. 

Guillermo was located by the Major Crimes Unit and East Valley Wanted Offender Task Force around 11:00pm on October 8, 2020.  He barricaded in a hotel room in Chandler. Chandler Police’s SWAT team responded, and Guillermo surrendered to them around 1:30am on October 9, 2020.  A search warrant was executed on Guillermo’s hotel room and police recovered a handgun loaded with red tipped ammunition.  This ammunition matched a live round found at the scene of the shooting at Diamond Sport’s Grill.

Guillermo was booked into Mesa City Jail for 19 felony charges.  The cases and charges are as follows:

DR 2020-28183

A.R.S. 13-1204A2 Aggravated Assault (x2), C3F

A.R.S. 13-3102A4 Misconduct w/ Weapons, C4F

DR 2020-28199

A.R.S. 13-1904A1 Armed Robbery, C2F

A.R.S. 13-1814A5 Theft of a Means, C3F

DR 2020-28229

A.R.S. 13-1904A1 Armed Robbery, C2F

DR 2020-29601

A.R.S. 13-1904A1 Armed Robbery, C2F

A.R.S. 13-1814A5 Theft of a Means, C3F

DR 2020-103590 (Chandler PD)

A.R.S. 13-1904A1 Armed Robbery (x2), C2F

A.R.S. 13-1508A 1^st Degree Burglary, C2F

A.R.S. 13-1304A3 Kidnapping, C4F

A.R.S. 13-1814A5 Theft of a Means (x2), C3F

DR 2020-30210

A.R.S. 13-1904A1 Armed Robbery, C2F

A.R.S. 13-1508A 1^st Degree Burglary, C2F

A.R.S. 13-1814A5 Theft of a Means, C3F

A.R.S. 13-2102A1 Theft of a Credit Card, C5F

Maricopa County Warrant CR 2019-103257

 

Mesa Police want to thank all the extremely observant victims and witnesses, the meticulous Crime Scene Specialists, and especially the Chandler Police Department for helping us arrest a tremendously violent offender.  It is because of YOU that our agency was proudly able to make this announcement. 

 

Homicide (Road Rage) - Arrest

    On January 11^th, 2020 Mesa Police Detectives responded to a hit and run incident at 825 S Alma School in Mesa. Victim 1 and Victim 2 were traveling together in their vehicle when a road rage incident occurred, and Victim 2 was purposely run over by the suspect.     

    The investigation revealed the defendant (later identified as Frank Lawrence) was driving a white Dodge Ram pickup truck northbound on Alma School from Southern when he drifted into the Victim’s lane causing Victim 1 to honk at the Lawrence. Lawrence began to drive erratically moving in and out of three lanes of traffic causing Victim 2 to use his cell phone to record the incident.

    Victim 1 drove her vehicle into the apartment complex driveway at 825 S Alma School where Lawrence followed and eventually confronted Victim 1 while she was sitting in her vehicle. Lawrence punched Victim 1 through the open car window causing Victim 2 to exit his vehicle and video record Lawrence and his vehicle for evidence. Lawrence then fled the scene as Victim 2 ran after to record the license plate of the vehicle. Victim 2 ran into the roadway on Alma School as Lawrence sped away and then abruptly did a u-turn and drove past Victim 2 and then turned again intentionally driving right at Victim 2 striking him with the vehicle.

    Lawrence made no attempt to stop and fled the scene. Victim 2 was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Victim 2 has been identified as 22 year old James Ackerman Jr.

    Investigators were able to use cell phone footage from Ackerman, Surveillance footage from the area, and multiple investigative tools to obtain search warrants and ultimately identify Lawrence as the driver that day. This investigation and subsequent arrest are the direct result of hours of committed investigation by multiple individuals and units within the Mesa Police Department.

    Frank Lawrence was booked and charged on 09/30/2020 with one count of First Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Leaving the scene of a fatal accident. 

Hit and Run - Arrest

On September 29^th, 2020 Mesa Police Detectives responded to a hit and run incident at 1811 S Alma School in Mesa. An 81 year old male, later identified as Larry Lans, was struck and killed as he walked on the sidewalk.   

The investigation revealed the defendant (later identified as Joseph Eckert) was driving a silver Ford Ranger northbound on Alma School from Baseline when for unknown reasons he left the roadway and drove onto the sidewalk colliding with a water meter valve, Mr Lans, and an SRP electrical box. After the collision he immediately reversed into the roadway and fled southbound on Alma School in the northbound lanes.

Investigators were able to locate nearby surveillance footage that allowed them to positively identify the make and model of the vehicle along with a license plate that returned to a Ford Ranger. Through investigative efforts and with the assistance of undercover officers, the vehicle was located in Tempe and the owner was contacted. The vehicle owner was interviewed, and he identified Eckert (an acquaintance) as the driver on the day of the incident.

Eckert was contacted and interviewed and initially denied any involvement. He later confessed to driving the vehicle at the time of the incident and admitted to striking the power box but claimed he had no knowledge of striking a pedestrian.

We appreciate the sense of urgency and dedication by all the officers and detectives involved in this investigation and are grateful for their excellent teamwork to resolve this investigation so quickly.

Eckert has been booked and charged with one count of Failing to Stop for a Fatality Collision.