Man arraigned for alleged armed robberies
A 26-year-old man is facing federal charges for allegedly robbing two convenience stores in Revere and Everett at gunpoint in less than a week, according to Acting US Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office.
Jaquan Barrows, was arrested April 4 at his home in Revere and appeared Wednesday in US District Court in Boston on two counts each of robbery interfering with interstate commerce and gun possession during a crime of violence, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Barrows “consented to voluntary detention” and US Magistrate M. Page Kelley ordered that Barrows be taken into custody by the US Marshals Service pending trial, court records show.
A federal public defender for Barrows declined to comment.
The first robbery occurred at a Revere convenience store at 1247 North Shore Road a little before 7:30 a.m. on March 29. A man wearing a face mask, dark clothing, an orange safety vest, and light-colored gloves pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money from the cash drawer, according to an affidavit for a criminal complaint.
When the clerk didn’t comply, the robber went behind the counter, opened the register with a key, and took the money, as well as the clerk’s iPhone and $40 from the clerk’s wallet, the 11page affidavit said.
Before he fled, the suspect hit the clerk in the head with his gun and grabbed an ice cream from the freezer.
Barrows allegedly robbed again six days later on April 4, this time targeting an Everett convenience store at 543 Ferry St. while wearing a black tracksuit and a black ski mask, records show. He got away with between $400 and $500, the affidavit said.
“After being asked to pay for his items, the suspect allegedly brandished a handgun, pointed it at the store clerk, and demanded cash from the cash register drawer and fled the scene,” prosecutors said.
According to the affidavit, investigators used surveillance video from behind the Revere store to connect Barrows to a Honda Pilot registered to his live-in girlfriend.
Authorities searched Barrows’s residence on April 4 and found a loaded handgun, ammunition, dark clothing, and two orange reflective safety vests, records show.
After his arrest, Barrows admitted to the two robberies, records show. Barrows told investigators he struck the first clerk with his gun because he thought he was reaching for a knife.