Multiple people are in the Greene County jail, accused of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking of two young DoorDash food deliverers on the morning of March 15.
Police say three of the suspects forced the DoorDash deliverers out of their van at gunpoint, and then later the van was used to steal more than $800 worth of property from Harbor Freight Tools on North Kansas Expressway.
Alex C. Jackson, 30, is charged with vehicle hijacking with a deadly weapon and first-degree robbery, both class A felonies; and the class D felony of tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution.
Raymond Leon Downum, 54, is charged with three counts of first-degree robbery, six counts of armed criminal action, three counts of the unclassified felony of unlawful use of a weapon, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
If convicted, both men could face life in prison.
A third man also suspected to be involved in the robbery and carjacking, 35-year-old Johnny Davis, is charged with the class D felony of first-degree vehicle tampering and the class D felony resisting arrest/creating a substantial risk.
A fourth man, 51-year-old Darrell Friend, is charged with the class D felony of stealing $750 or more and misdemeanor second-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. Friend is suspected of participating with Davis in the theft from Harbor Freight Tools that happened a few hours after the victims’ van was stolen.
Police: Victims were tricked by suspect claiming to be injured
According to probable cause statements, a pair of DoorDash deliverers were at the Casey’s General Store at 2805 N. Kansas Expressway around 7 a.m. March 15. One of the deliverers, identified at Victim 1 in the officer’s report, was pumping gas into his 2005 Pontiac van, while the other DoorDash deliverer, identified as Victim 2, was sleeping in the back seat.
Victim 1 and Victim 2 had been “door-dashing” throughout the evening and morning hours. DoorDash is a company that operates an online food and grocery ordering and delivery platform.
In his report, the officer described the two DoorDash deliverers as being “two youths,” one of whom is considered a special victim because he has autism.
According to the officer’s report, Jackson approached Victim 1 at the gas station and asked if he could use Victim 1’s phone. Jackson claimed to have a foot injury and asked Victim 1 for a ride to a residence.
Believing Jackson was truly injured, the victims agreed to give Jackson a ride.
When they arrived at the residence, Victim 1 assisted Jackson to the front porch. Two men inside the house, Downum and Davis, refused to let Jackson come inside. Instead, Downum and Davis suggested they take Jackson to a different location and that Downum and Davis would join them to help get Jackson inside the other location.
Victims describe a frightening van ride
According to the officer’s reports, Victim 1 and Victim 2 did not know Jackson, Downum or Davis; nor had the victims ever seen any of the three men before.
As Downum encircled the van to get into the backseat, Victim 2, who was driving the van, saw that Downum was holding a gun. The victims said Downum pointed the gun at them and directed Victim 2 to drive. While driving, Victim 2 attempted to use his cell phone to call police but Downum saw what the victim was doing and ordered both victims to hand over their phones and wallets.
According to the officer’s reports, Victim 2 missed several turns as he was driving around Springfield and Greene County, which resulted in Downum and Jackson “hostilely chastising him” and threatening to shoot the victim if he continued missing turns.
Downum took over driving at that point, and then Downum and Jackson began arguing with each other. During that argument, Downum intentionally discharged his gun inside the van and the bullet went through the van’s roof, the officer wrote.
After Downum drove the van for about five minutes, he stopped in the area of Golden Avenue and High Street in northwest Springfield and told the two victims to exit the van, according to the officer’s report.
Jackson allegedly then shoved the victims out of the van and threatened the victims and their families if the victims called police.
Stolen van used in tool store theft, high-speed chase
According to a probable cause statement, Downum, Jackson and Davis went to a residence in the 2000 block of W. Thomas Street after the robbery and carjacking where they bragged to multiple people about what they’d done, including a Darrell Friend and another woman.
A witness told police Davis asked the woman if she wanted to use the van to go shopping. Davis indicated he did not know how much longer he would have the van, the officer wrote.
According to the officer’s report, Davis, Friend and the woman then left in the van. The trio drove to Harbor Freight Tools at 2636 N. Kansas Expressway. The store’s surveillance videos captured images of Friend stealing more than $800 worth of property including a generator and 4-in-1 dolly system.
Once Davis and Friend loaded the stolen merchandise into the stolen van, the trio headed to the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3536 W. Mount Vernon St., where Davis attempted to sell Victim 2’s iPhone at an EcoATM (a kiosk that allows people to sell used phones for cash).
While Davis, Friend and the woman were at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, Victim 2 was able to track his stolen cell phone to the Walmart location and police were dispatched to the store.
A responding officer saw Davis and Friend getting into the stolen van. As the stolen van pulled out of the parking lot and onto West Bypass, the officer turned on his emergency lights and siren and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
According to the officer’s report, Davis was driving the van and failed to pull over. Davis turned east onto Grand Street and “accelerated and began traveling at speeds of up to 85 mph in the 35 mph zone while eluding” police.
The responding officer ended the pursuit but noted Davis continued driving in a “careless manner, pulling around vehicles” and “disobeying a solid red signal” and striking the trailer of a southbound vehicle.
According to the report, Davis eventually stopped and abandoned the damaged van on foot.
Friend and the woman were captured by surveillance cameras getting out of the van and running away from the location.
Davis was located soon after, arrested and booked into jail on March 15.
Jackson was booked into jail on March 28.
Downum and Friend were booked into jail on March 29.
Charging documents reveal extensive criminal histories
Online court documents and probable cause statements from the incidents that occurred on March 15 reveal the suspects have lengthy criminal backgrounds.
According to the probable cause statement, Downum is a non-compliant registered sex offender. When he was arrested on March 29, Downum was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine, the officer noted. He has been arrested and/or convicted of the following crimes: first-degree statutory rape, first degree statutory sodomy, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, first-degree sexual abuse, forgery, passing a bad check, parole violation, distribution of a controlled substance, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Downum is associated with a violent prison gang, according to the probable cause statement.
The officer wrote that Jackson has failed to appear in court for warrants 10 times in the past. Jackson has also been arrested and/or convicted for the following crimes: second-degree burglary, felony and misdemeanor theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, third-degree assault, third-degree domestic assault, felony possession of a controlled substance, tampering with a vehicle, creating chemical to a controlled substance, first- and second-degree harassment and resisting arrest.
According to the probable cause statement, Davis is on parole for first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He has been arrested and/or convicted of the following crimes: possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree burglary, resisting arrest, operating a vehicle without a license and driving while revoked.
At the time of Friend’s arrest, he was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine, according to the probable cause statement. Friend has been arrested and/or convicted for the following crimes: rape, assault, second-degree assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a vehicle without a license, possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana, felony possession of a controlled substance, third-degree domestic assault, shoplifting and first-degree burglary. Since 2011, Friend has been associated with at least seven local theft investigations, according to the probable cause statement.
According to a spokesperson with the Springfield Police Department, a fifth suspect — the woman — was arrested but has not yet been charged for anything related to the incidents that happened on March 15.
Jackson and Downum are being held without bond.
Davis is held on a $25,000 open court bond.
Friend is held on a $5,000 open court bond.
