CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – Two men are accused of a committing rash of robberies at several dollar stores and pharmacies in Cleveland and Euclid.
According to prosecutors, the men committed six robberies in 12 days.
Now, a grand jury has returned an indictment charging Xhyair Bennett, 20, and Errol Bankston, 18, for the crimes.
Here is how the robberies played out:
March 22, 2023:
Officials say Bennett and Bankston entered a Family Dollar near Superior Avenue and East 74th Street in Cleveland. They allegedly approached the store clerk at the register with a $10 bill. When the clerk opened the register, they pointed a gun and said, “Give me everything you got.” The two then allegedly grabbed all the money in the register and ran from the scene.
Later that day, the two are also accused of entering a Dollar General near Superior Avenue and East 51st Street in Cleveland. Officials say, the men walked around the store for about 20 minutes and attempted to distract the other employees from the register. Then, they approached the store clerk at the register with a gun and demanded they open the register. The pair then allegedly grabbed all the money in the register and, again, took off from the scene.
March 24, 2023:
Officials say the two men entered a Dollar General near St. Clair Avenue and East 79th Street in Cleveland. They allegedly approached the store clerk at the register with a box of cereal and a $20 bill. When the clerk opened the register, the men allegedly pointed a gun and said, “Give me the money.” They then grabbed all the money in the register and demanded the clerk open a second register. Officials say, the clerk was unable to open the second register and the two suspects fled.
On March 26, 2023:
Officials say Bennett and Bankston entered a Rite Aid near Superior Avenue and East 53rd Street in Cleveland. They walked around the store and allegedly approached the store clerk with candy. When the clerk opened the register, officials say they reached over to her and said, “Give me that” while holding a gun. Officials say, the clerk then gave them all the money in the register.
April 2, 2023:
Officials say the two suspects entered a Walgreens near Euclid Avenue and Dille Road in Euclid. The two approached the store clerk at the register with a bag of candy. When the clerk opened the register, they allegedly pointed a gun at him and demanded the clerk leave the register open and not move. Officials say Bennett and Bankston then grabbed all the money in the register and fled the scene.
April 3, 2023:
Officials say the men entered a Dollar General near St. Clair Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland. They approached the store clerk at the register with store items. When the clerk opened the register, they allegedly pointed a gun at her and said they were taking the money. The two then grabbed all the money in the register and, again, then fled the scene, according to officials.
It’s not clear how law enforcement caught up with the suspects and put the series of robberies to an end. It’s also not clear how much money the two stole.
The two will appear in court at a later date.
