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Two groups of young men have been charged in a pair of armed robberies this week in Lancaster city, police said Tuesday.
Two teenagers were charged with robbing a man Monday night in the 700 block of North Shippen Street. Davonte Butts and Christopher Cruz — both age 15 — will be tried in court as adults, police said.
In the other incident, five men in their 20s allegedly threatened and assaulted two other men while robbing them early Tuesday morning on West Lemon Street.
City police identified the suspects as Miguel Angel Pagan, 21, of Willow Street; Tyson Anthony Thomas, 22, of Lancaster Township; and Tywan Damoss Winder, 22, Dionte Jermaine Floyd, 22, and Jose Daniel Burgos, 23, all of Lancaster city.
All seven suspects have been charged with felony robbery and criminal conspiracy.
In each incident, one of the victims was physically assaulted, police said. They sustained minor injuries and were not hospitalized.
According to police, all the victims were threatened and menaced with handguns.
In the Tuesday morning robbery, two men who had just left a restaurant were ambushed as they got into a car on West Lemon Street about 2 a.m.
Two men armed with guns approached the car and threatened the occupants, while three other men stole items and served as lookouts, according to a police affidavit."Put the car in park, (expletive), and give me everything you got or I'll kill you," one of the robbers said, according to the affidavit.
The robbers stole cash, credit cards and cell phones from the two victims, the affidavit says, and the passenger in the car was punched.
The suspects' car was later pulled over at Race and Buchanan avenues. All five initially gave conflicting stories during police interviews, the affidavit says. After repeated questioning, they eventually admitted their roles. The suspects also were identified by the victims, police said.
According to the affidavit, Thomas hatched the robbery plan and the men discussed it in a bar parking lot on South Duke Street.
The teenage boys charged in the Monday night robbery might have committed other local robberies. Police said they're trying to build their case and file appropriate charges.
On Monday night, the boys confronted a man walking in the 700 block of North Shippen Street, police said.
The 28-year-old victim told police that one of the robbers put a handgun "to his face" and demanded his property. The robbers took the man's carry bag and wallet, assaulting him during the heist, police said.
City police officers David Hershiser and Aaron Szulborski later located the suspects, who had been described to them, among a group in the 600 block of North Plum Street.
Butts and Cruz were questioned at the police station and charged. They were to be remanded to prison after arraignment Tuesday night.
A third armed robbery was reported just before noon Tuesday. Susquehanna Bank, 1060 Main St., Terre Hill Borough, was robbed about 11:50 a.m., according to police reports.
An arrest was reportedly made Tuesday afternoon, but further information wasn't immediately available.
E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com
