At a news conference on Wednesday, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings announced that several suspects involved in a spate of armed commercials robberies, have been apprehended. Flanked by OCSO and Orlando Police Department robbery detectives, he said, five of seven suspects are in custody, with arrest warrants out for the remaining two.
“I want to reassure the community that Orange County is safer with these suspects in custody,” he said. “… And if there are other criminals who are thinking about commercial robberies, it’s just a matter of time before we get you too.”
Since December 2013, the seven suspects are believed to have conducted up to 40 armed robberies of pharmacies and several hotels in the International Drive area.
Dubbed as “Boone Hat” cases because of their head-gear, Demarques Brown, 20, Damien Altidor, 19 and Brixton Dyer, 19, are suspected of robbing CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, as well as an Embassy Suites, the Metropolitan Hotel, and a Quality Inn in the I-Drive area. Yesterday, Dyer, was named as the suspected trigger man in the fatal shooting of Alex Mazzan, 20, as he walked downtown Orlando on the evening of May 19.
Another group of three suspects – Darin Givens, 31, Pheathine Quinn, 19, and Joseph Price, 29, AKA – Dee Londraye Bycil McGee – are believed to have also robbed CVS pharmacies at gun point.
Police do not believe that the two groups worked together in conducting the armed robberies.
The seventh suspect, Tavares Annon, 29, worked alone and is believed to have robbed a Dollar General Store, at gunpoint.
Demings said, Altidor and Price remain at large and could to be out of the state. He appealed to the public for help in tracking them down.
“While there is always more to be done, I am confident that we have five very violent individuals, with two pending, off the streets,” Demings said.
