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Criminal Records - Most Wanted |
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Profile |
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Name: Derrick Shawnte Benjamin
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Race: Black |
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Age Now: 30 |
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Height: 5'8" |
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Weight: 155 lbs. |
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Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Black |
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Eyes (Color and Correction): Brown |
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Wanted for :
Receiving Stolen Goods, Columbia, SC;
May 2007
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Location(s) |
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Last Seen : South Carolina
Darlington, SC |
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Possible Location : Fayetteville, NC
Darlington, SC
Texas
Florida
South Carolina
Columbia, SC
Police say Benjamin also has family in North Carolina, Texas and Florida, so he may have headed to one of those states. |
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Last Known : Darlington, SC |
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Traits |
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Case Story |
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The Heist |
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On May 11, 2007, at approximately midnight, deputies in Columbia, S.C. say an armored car pulled over at a gas station to refuel. The car that just happened to be carrying about $18 million. Once the guard refueling the truck finished at the pump, he got ready to hop back into the driver's seat. Deputies say as he was re-entering the car he was struck in the face by someone with a handgun. Before he knew what was happening, the guard found himself struggling with two attackers, who overpowered him and threw him between the seats of the truck. Deputies say the attackers were Dominic La Shaun Lyde, 22, and Jeremy McPhail, 19. Then McPhail and Lyde allegedly forced the second guard, Darryl C. Frierson, 21, to drive.
After driving about two miles away, McPhail and Lyde had Frierson stop the car. Deputies say they were met by two other suspects at this location, Kelby Blakney, 20, and Dominique Blakney, 19. Investigators say the men proceeded to rob the truck of roughly $9.8 million. |
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An Inside Job |
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Deputies were immediately suspicious when they learned the car had been refueling when it was robbed. Armored cars usually have plenty of fuel for their routes, and there was no reason to stop.
Sure enough, deputies say they received information early into their investigation and acted on it May 16. They found Frierson, one of the 'guards', with Dominique Blakney, one of the robbers. Deputies say the two men implicated themselves and the others involved in the heist, and it didn't take long for cops to make three more arrests. Darryl C. Frierson, Dominique D. Blakney, Kelby D. Blakney, and Jeremy M. Mcphail are being held on charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, and assault and battery. Paul J. Whitaker, 21, another employee with the armored car service, was not at the scene of the crime but has been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery. And January 30, 2008, deputies arrested the sixth suspect involved in the actual heist, Dominic La Shaun Lyde.
Detectives are now looking for the last man believed to be on the run, Derrick Shawnte Benjamin. Benjamin is wanted for receiving a large quantity of the stolen cash, at least $1 million. Police think Benjamin is staying in South Carolina, and possibly getting help staying on the run, from friends and family. He could also be in North Carolina, Texas or Florida. |
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The Spending Spree |
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So what do seven guys, six of whom are between the ages 19 and 22, do with nearly $10 million after a major armored car heist?
Deputies say they bought shoes, cars, tattoos, and went to strip clubs. And since the crime happened on Mother's Day weekend, some of the suspects bought their moms presents.
Deputies say Dominique Blakney, Frierson, and Whitaker are all students at Benedict College...so much for a higher education. |
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