Milwaukee armed robberies; prosecutors charge 4 men in case

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors charged three men on Friday with committing a pair of armed robberies, and a fourth man with conspiring to commit one of the two.

Clothing store, Walgreens robbed

The backstory:

Milwaukee police were called to Prestige Collective, a clothing store near 1st and Pittsburgh, for an armed robbery on Feb. 25. According to a criminal complaint, an employee said three suspects came in shortly before close that night.

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One suspect pointed a gun at the employee's head and said "give me everything" as he was directed toward the cash register, per the complaint. Another suspect opened the cash register and took money. The suspects grabbed items off the racks and made the employee go into a back office, where they took more items, before they ran off.

Less than a week later, on March 2, police were called to an armed robbery at the Walgreens near 91st and Good Hope. Court filings said an employee told officers she was closing and securing the doors when three suspects walked up and one of them pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. One suspect demanded money from the register, as well as the employee's phone. The suspects then took the money and put it into a backpack. 

Detectives went to Walgreens and spoke to Jamareon Jackson, a shift lead at the store who is now charged in the case. According to prosecutors, he said he had taken the money to the back room and heard a commotion, checked a security monitor and realized "something was wrong." He said an armed suspect rushed into the office when he opened the door and ordered him to get the money out of the safe. He said he handed over the money, and the suspect hit him in the head with the gun and ran off.

A 911 caller, per the complaint, reported a person with a weapon in the area and told the officer he noticed "odd behavior" from a dark-colored vehicle with a loud exhaust. The caller said he then saw three people get out of the vehicle with backpacks, one of whom he believed had a gun, and walk toward Walgreens. The caller later saw the same three people running back to the vehicle.

Shortly after the robbery, police stopped a vehicle that matched the suspicious vehicle's description. Brandon Owens, the driver, was taken into custody, as was passenger Xavyion Humphrey-Smith. A third passenger, Isaiah Cochran, got out and tried to run but was ultimately taken into custody. Officers found a gun on Owens. In the vehicle, they found another gun, gloves, masks, backpacks and over $4,000 in cash.

In custody

What we know:

Court records show 19-year-old Isaiah Cochran of Glendale, 19-year-old Xavyion Humphrey-Smith of Milwaukee and 18-year-old Brandon Owens of Brown Deer are each charged with two counts of armed robbery. Owens is also charged with carrying a concealed weapon. All three men had bond set at $40,000. 

Jamareon Jackson, 20, is charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery. His bond was set at $30,000. 

What's next:

All four men are due back in court for preliminary hearings on March 14.

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What they're saying:

Detectives interviewed all four men charged in the case. 

Cochran admitted he was in the Walgreens, the complaint states, but said he only held a backpack. He initially said he didn't know anything, but later said he knew they were going there to rob it. He identified himself, Owens and Humphrey-Smith in surveillance footage from both the Prestige Collective and Walgreens robberies. He also said he had a gun during the Prestige Collective Robbery and that they were "all talking about clothes one day and they wanted some clothes, so they went to the store and took clothing."

Prosecutors said Humphrey-Smith told detectives that Owens called him to rob the Walgreens the day it happened. He said Owens picked him up and gave him a gun. Humphrey-Smith said he pointed the gun at the Walgreens cashier, and Owens went to the back office. 

Humphrey-Smith also said either Owens or Cochran knew someone who worked at the Walgreens who "wanted the place to get robbed or helped with the robbery," according to the complaint. However, Humphrey-Smith said he didn't know if that person was working the night of the robbery.

Prosecutors said, when detectives followed up and showed Humphrey-Smith a picture of Jackson, he said he'd known Jackson for "a long time" because they "make content together" and described Jackson as the "mastermind" of the Walgreens robbery. When Jackson heard about the Prestige Collective robbery, Humphrey-Smith said Jackson asked the group "why they didn't get him anything." That's when, Humphrey-Smith said, Owens told Jackson they could "hit up his job" – but Jackson would need to plan it.

As for the Prestige Collective robbery, court filings said Humphrey-Smith told detectives that Owens called to hang out and told him to bring a mask. They then drove to Prestige collective. Humphrey-Smith went in first to ask about clothes, and Owens and Cochran came in after with guns. 

The complaint states Owens told detectives he, Humphrey-Smith and Cochran robbed the Walgreens. He said he went into the back with a gun and pointed it at the employee, identified in the complaint as Jackson, while demanding money from the safe. He said they then fled the scene, but police quickly followed them. He said the other two were talking to someone else about robbing the Walgreens, but that person wanted a share of the money, so they did it without him.

Owens initially denied knowing anything about the Prestige Collective robbery, per the complaint. However, once he was shown photos of the suspects and the vehicle used, he admitted he, Humphrey-Smith and Cochran robbed the store. He said he didn't have a gun but acted like he had one. The complaint states he claimed he did the robberies because "summer is coming up and he wanted a nice, fast car and wanted to buy gits [sic] for family for upcoming events." 

Further, court filings said Owens initially denied knowing Jackson. However, once shown a photo of himself with Jackson, Owens said they were both content creators – but denied talking to Jackson during the Walgreens robbery.

Jackson initially denied knowing the three people involved in the Walgreens robbery until he was shown TikTok images of him with the others, according to the complaint. He continued to deny involvement but, ultimately, he said he knew they were going to rob the store because they had been talking about it the week before. He also said they got him "wrapped up in something he is not supposed to be in."