Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Reginald Williams, Calvin Scantlebury and Dewkwan Cooper were indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on robbery and other charges for allegedly holding up at gunpoint two people at two different retail establishments in Queens on November 20. Defendant Williams was also indicted and arraigned on robbery and other charges for allegedly holding up at gunpoint 13 people at eight different stores in a robbery spree across Queens.

District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, these are predators on our small businesses.  We cannot stand by and watch our lives and communities be targeted.  I thank the NYPD for their steadfast investigation on these robberies. There will be accountability.”

Scantlebury, 39, Williams, 23, and Cooper, 22, all from Brooklyn, were arraigned yesterday on a 10-count indictment charging them with robbery in the second degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree. Defendant Williams is additionally charged with robbery in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Defendant Williams was also arraigned separately on a 28-count indictment charging him with robbery in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, attempted robbery in the second degree and assault in the third degree. Justice Gia Morris ordered the defendants to return to court on January 5, 2022.  If convicted, Williams faces up to 350 years in prison, Scantlebury up to 30 years and Cooper as many as 15 years in prison.

According to the criminal charges, defendant Williams admitted that he along with other males entered several locations at gunpoint and removed money and additional items from behind the cash register.  The dates, locations and items are as follows:

• November 8, between 12:48 am & 12:50 am at 135-28 Rockaway Blvd., approximately $900-$1000
• November 8, between 10:53pm & 10:56 pm at 79-09 Rockaway Blvd., approximately $600 and a quantity of checks
• November 9, between 1:30 am & 1:55 am at 66-10 Grand Avenue, approximately $3900
• November 11, between 1:10 am & 1:15 am at 87-74 168^th Street, approximately $1115 and a chain from the complainants’ neck
• November 11, between 1:45 am and 1:55 am at 793 Wyckoff Avenue, approximately $2000, a sum of money from the wallet of one employee and 10 boxes of Newport cigarettes
• November 15, between 1:55 am and 2:00 am, at 66-20 Fresh Pond Road, approximately $1000 from the cash register, multiple cigarette boxes and the cellphone of a customer
• November 16, between 11:53 pm & 11:55 pm, at 44-33 Kissena Blvd. the defendant along with another male entered the location and demanded money. The complainant immediately ran to the back of the location and closed the door and the defendants fled empty handed.
• November 17, between 12:50 am & 12:55 am, at 17-55 Francis Lewis Blvd, approximately $2400 and 8 Metro cards

In addition, all three defendants have been indicted for taking part of the following incidents:

• November 20, between 12:20 am & 12:30 am, at 92-22 Astoria Blvd. approximately $4000 from inside and underneath the cash register along with rolling papers
• November 20, between 12:57 am & 1:00 am, at 39-04 Skillman Ave, approximately $1700 from two registers and multiple boxes of Newport cigarettes

District Attorney Katz said that, according to the criminal charges, defendants Williams and Cooper admitted that they entered these two locations at gunpoint and removed money and additional items from behind the cash register.

Furthermore, said DA Katz, each incident was captured on video surveillance and shows three perpetrators wearing distinctive clothing and face masks. Defendant Williams was arrested wearing the clothing from some of the robberies.

Police Officer Michael Garvey of the 110^th Police Precinct who was conducting a routine patrol overheard a call into the NYPD’s “City-Wide 4 Channel” after the two incidents on November 20. The call indicated that the suspects could be in a blue or black Nissan Maxima. Officer Garvey observed that vehicle with 3 males inside opposite 79-01 Broadway at approximately 2:28 a.m. and followed the vehicle for approximately 5 blocks. The officer pulled the vehicle over after committing a traffic infraction and observed the 3 males inside along with multiple boxes of Newport cigarettes.

At the time of arrest, officers recovered $1,151 from defendant Scantlebury’s sweatshirt pocket, $908 from defendant Cooper’s sweatshirt and pant pockets.  Inside defendant Williams’ sweatshirt pocket, officers recovered a black face mask and a pair of gloves. An additional mask, rolling papers, Newport cigarettes and a loaded 40 caliber pistol with 14 rounds of ammunition, as well as defendant Williams’ black jacket with a rabbit emblem on the back was recovered from inside the vehicle.

Assistant District Attorney Katherine McCabe, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief, and Assistant District Attorney Michael Whitney, Deputy Chief and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney of Major Crimes Daniel Saunders.