Ingenuity by East Precinct detectives Friday night led to the arrest of three persons for conspiring to rob a pizza delivery driver. One of the suspects, a 17-year-old, admitted to his involvement and said he needed money to rent a tuxedo for his school prom.
The police department’s involvement began when East detectives responded a local pizza business which received an order from a pay phone that had been used to initiate a prior robbery. Detectives placed a magnetic pizza sign from the business on an unmarked police car and drove to the delivery point in the 400 block of Avondale Drive. Two men were walking up and down the street and appeared to be waiting for the delivery driver to exit the car. A Honda sedan was pulled into a nearby alley and appeared ready for a quick getaway.
To avoid danger to the undercover officers, other detectives moved in on the three suspects. The 17-year-old admitted to helping plan a robbery of the pizza delivery driver and had a BB pistol in his pocket. Another suspect, Kenneth Smith, 18, of North 8th Street, also admitted that he was going to participate in the robbery. A third man, Edward Leon Pitts, II, 20, of Malquin Drive, who was seated behind the wheel of the Honda, asked for a lawyer and would not answer questions. However, an independent witness identified Pitts as also taking part in the robbery plot.
All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. The 17-year-old was booked at Juvenile Court. Bond for Smith and Pitts was set at $20,000 each. Detectives are investigating whether the three are involved in any other robbery cases.
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