Police: Gunman was leader of armored heists
An armed assassin and a crew of accused robbers intercepted during a failed heist of an armored car this week have been linked to the slaughter of two cash couriers in robberies this year, according to federal court documents.
Redrick Batiste — the 37-year-old gunman who died Wednesday in a shootout with police — recruited and managed four other men collared during the attempted hold-up outside an Amegy Bank, according to details of the elaborate sting operation outlined by FBI Special Agent William A. Applegate late Thursday in federal court.
Batiste bragged about cash, stolen cars and the stress of his lifestyle in the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s thwarted cash grab, which would have been the ninth armored car rob-
bery in the Houston area this year.
“Dough be on the way, man,” Batiste told another man Nov. 30 during a phone call secretly recorded by law enforcement.
One of the accused crew members arrested Wednesday boasted on Facebook two days earlier that he enjoyed “counting ca$h.”
Batiste was the leader of the group and executed the complicated planning for the operation, including stationing crew members outside the bank for days to monitor the coming and going of the armored vehicle, according to Applegate.
The plan called for shooting the guard, then sending two men in a getaway car to grab the cash and run.
“As the courier exits the armored car with a sealed box containing the currency for the ATM, the courier is assassinated by Batiste or a member of Batiste’s robbery crew, who fires a rifle from a concealed position some distance away,” according to Applegate’s statement.
The crew apparently started scoping out the Amegy Bank ATM in late November, even as law enforcement officers moved in to get a warrant to tap Batiste’s cellphone.
“Commissary pulling up right now,” one of the accused robbers told Batiste as he watched a money truck drive up to the bank. On Wednesday, Batiste was stationed at a nearby apartment complex and alleged members of his crew had lined up near the bank when Houston police moved in.
Two men fled but were captured after a brief foot chase, and two others also were arrested. Batiste opened fire on SWAT officers before he was shot in the leg and chest; he died later at Ben Taub Hospital. Houston police Thursday identified 20-year veteran Officer J. Salazar as the man who fired the fatal shots.
Task force investigation
The four men are charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and use of firearm in furthering a crime of violence.
A multi-agency task force — including the Houston Police Department and the FBI — began investigating the armored car robberies in March, when Loomis truck courier Melvin Moore was fatally shot outside a J.P Morgan Chase Bank on Airline.
A sniper targeted Moore from afar while robbers moved in and tried to snatch the money. But Moore opened fire before dying, and the crew fled without grabbing the cash, according to Applegate’s statement.
Then in August, Loomis courier David Guzman was killed while filling a Wells Fargo Bank ATM on the Northwest Freeway. After the shooting, a car pulled up and a man leaped out to steal the money box. That time, the robbers made off with $120,000.
According to court documents, the two slayings matched Batiste’s shoot-and-grab pattern.
As of now, ring members have not been charged in the fatal heists, though a stolen car tied to Batiste appears to link him to the earlier crimes, according to court documents.
The missing rental car had a cut-out hole large enough to house a rifle with a scope.
In the Wednesday operation, authorities say the crew moved into place around the bank about 9:30 a.m. only to find police ready and waiting.
Arrested and charged were Marc Anthony Hill, 46, of Spring; Nelson Alexander Polk, 37; Trayvees Duncan-Bush, 29; and John Edward Scott, 40. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison on the robbery conspiracy and a mandatory minimum of five years on the firearm charge.
The accused men appeared in court Thursday morning to hear the charges against them.
They all wore casual street clothes and were handcuffed in front as they awkwardly raised their hands and swore to tell the truth.
All four qualified for court-appointed lawyers, through information was presented that Hill had a home valued at about $400,000. His attorney, Brian Edward Warren, said he also owns and runs a gourmet popcorn company and has a wife and three children.
Criminal history
Bush and Polk both said they were unemployed, while Scott said his last job was at the Salvation Army.
Batiste has a long criminal history in Harris County, including arrests for drugs, drunken driving and assault. County records show he owns four properties — three houses and a vacant lot — valued altogether at about $140,000
Eight armored vehicles have been robbed in the Houston area this year, and three couriers have been killed in the past 22 months, according to the FBI.
The robberies this year more than double the number last year, but still haven’t topped the 11-heist string that drew national attention in 2013.