Docs: Indy suspect robbed pizza delivery driver, Lyft driver and business at gunpoint

INDIANAPOLIS - Indy police have arrested a man accused of robbing three people at gunpoint over the past two weeks, including a pizza delivery driver, a Lyft driver and a convenience store worker.




Laurens Jean Francois, 22, was arrested by Indianapolis Metro police on Wednesday and preliminarily charged with armed robbery. The charges stem from three separate incidents that have occurred on the city's northwest side since July 19.

Domino's delivery driver robbed

IMPD crews were called around 10:20 p.m. on July 19 to a Domino's Pizza location to take a delayed robbery report.




Officers arrived and spoke with a driver who said that he was robbed at gunpoint while delivering a pizza to an apartment building on the city's northwest side. The victim said that when he arrived at the apartment, a man came out of the stairwell and pointed a rifle at him.




The driver said the man told him to give him everything he had on him or he would shoot. The driver then turned over an Android phone, $90 in cash belonging to Domino's and the food that was ordered.




The suspect reportedly asked the driver if that was all he had, to which the driver replied yes. The suspect then told the driver to run, which he said he did.




IMPD investigators stated the apartment complex features "open air breezeways and stairwells" that are accessible to anyone without security clearance. The driver also told police that no one ever came out of the apartment unit that had supposedly ordered the food.




Officers checked the order details and saw that a man named Charles ordered the food and entered a phone number with the area code 929. When police attempted to call the number, they were greeted with a voicemail of a man speaking in another language, "possibly Chinese."




The delivery driver described the man as a young, skinny male under the age of 20 with a tattoo near his left eye. Police said the driver was not injured.

Lyft driver robbed

IMPD officers were called on July 21 to investigate the robbery of a Lyft driver on the city's northwest side.




Police spoke with a victim who said he had picked up a young male around the age of 20 at the entrance of an apartment complex on N. High School Road. The driver said he then took the man to a Burger King on 38th Street.




After this, the driver said the passenger requested to be taken back towards the apartment, but then wanted to be dropped off on N. Mission Drive.




When he stopped, the driver said the passenger pulled a gun and pointed it at him. The passenger reportedly demanded his wallet. The driver said he complied, handing over a wallet with his ID and a Chase bank card inside.




The suspect then reportedly ran away on foot, heading east. No injuries were reported.

Xpress Pantry robbed

IMPD officers were called just after 12:15 a.m. on July 23 to an Xpress Pantry convenience store on N. High School Road.




Upon arrival, the store's manager told police that his business had been robbed. The manager said one employee was working just before midnight on July 22 when the robbery occurred.




The employee told officers that a skinny male entered the store and asked for a phone charger that was held in a secure case. The employee said that, as he walked behind the register to retrieve the charger, the man pulled out a black AR-style rifle and demanded money.




Court documents state that the employee handed over around $1,900 in cash, ranging from $1 bills to $100 bills. The suspect then reportedly ran away on foot, headed west.




Once again, no injuries were reported to IMPD.

Investigation, arrest

The cases were assigned on July 24 to IMPD's Northwest Violent Crimes Task Force, which began casing the area near W. 46th Street and N. High School Road. After watching videos from the apartment building, they were able to get a photo of the suspect carrying a Domino's bag.




The videos reportedly showed a skinny male, approximately 5'7" or 5'8" and around 135 pounds. The suspect reportedly had a very distinct "duck walk," with his toes pointed to the outside of his feet.




Witnesses in the area were able to identify the man as a resident of the apartment complex. Detectives began surveilling the area and soon saw the same man from the video roaming the area in a "duck walk" fashion. The male reportedly had an AR-pistol style of rifle in his pants.




Officers soon took the man, identified as Laurens Francois, into custody and found a rifle consistent with the one used in the robberies. They later searched his apartment and found:

• A black Domino's delivery bag





• A USDS Freedom AR15 pistol





• 20 live .556 rounds and an AR magazine





• A black ski mask worn during the Lyft driver robbery





• A blue iPhone seen in surveillance footage





• $667 in cash

Francois was taken to IMPD's Northwest District headquarters and was interviewed. After this, he was arrested for armed robbery and transported to the Criminal Justice Center in Marion County.




Online jail records show that Francois is also being held on a federal detainer, although no details around this are provided.




IMPD said that the Marion County Prosecutor's Office will now make final charging decisions.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/docs-indy-suspect-robbed-pizza-delivery-driver-lyft-driver-and-business-at-gunpoint/