A South Los Angeles man, Deneyvous Jayan Hobson, has been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison for the armed robbery of an armored truck in Hawthorne on St. Valentine’s Day in 2022, a heist that involved the theft of over $166,000 and a firearm discharge. United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Hobson, 39, to 308 months and ordered him to pay $166,640 in restitution.
Hobson and co-defendant James Russell Davis, 37, ambushed a Sectran Security Services armored truck driver after he serviced an ATM on February 14, 2022. The pair had cased the Wescom Credit Union in Hawthorne three weeks prior. During the robbery, Hobson and two co-conspirators ordered the driver to the ground at gunpoint, took his service weapon, and stole approximately $166,640 in cash and checks. One co-conspirator fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun as they fled.
Following a six-day trial in November 2024, a jury found Hobson guilty of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), Hobbs Act robbery, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The day after the robbery, Hobson attempted to sell the 9mm handgun, stating it "was just shot doing a get down." He was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions in 2003.
Co-defendant James Russell Davis pleaded guilty in February 2024 to Hobbs Act robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, receiving a 166-month sentence and ordered to pay the same restitution. Prosecutors emphasized the severity of Hobson's actions, arguing, "The nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offenses cannot be understated as [Hobson] violently robbed an innocent worker, forever changing that man’s life, and nearly killing him, all for money." Multiple law enforcement agencies investigated the case.