SOUTH FORSYTH — Three Atlanta residents have been arraigned on charges from a series of armed robberies at area Walmart stores, including one in south Forsyth during which a gun was fired, that took place between May and October.
Kesia Quinette Jackson, 44, Deanthnoy L. Foster, 27, and Makisha Renee Sanders, 42, were indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet F. King.
Charges in the case, which is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, include conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
John Horn, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement, that officials “hope the arrests and indictments in this case will restore the security felt by the employees and customers of these stores, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.”
According to information presented in court, the defendants targeted Walmart stores and a Citgo Food Mart in the metro Atlanta area, with Jackson and Sanders acting as scouts or lookouts.
Prior to the robberies, they would reportedly enter the stores and pose as customers to determine when employees were removing cash from the self-checkout registers.
They would then contact Foster, who would enter the stores wearing a surgical mask and using a firearm to rob the employees of cash.
In the last robbery, he discharged the firearm into the floor near the employees.
Numerous media outlets connected the last robbery as occurring on Oct. 7, when one of three suspects entered the Walmart at 2395 Peachtree Parkway in south Forsyth.
According to Forsyth County News accounts, the male suspect was wearing a surgical mask and fired a semi-automatic handgun into the floor before leaving with money. There were no injuries reported.
Other area stores where similar armed robberies occurred include:
* May 15: 8424 Mall Parkway, Lithonia
* Aug. 11: 970 Mansell Road, Roswell
* Aug. 18: 4725 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody
* Sept. 13: 7050 Highway 85, Riverdale
* Sept. 21: 8424 Mall Parkway, Lithonia
* Sept. 26: 4975 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross
* Oct. 1: 6152 Covington Hwy., Lithonia
In December, the FBI asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspects.
Special Agent J. Britt Johnson said in a statement that “numerous jurisdictions were impacted by these multiple commercial armed robberies, creating certain challenges for investigators.”
“Those challenges were, however, overcome as a direct result of the hard work and determination of the many officers and agents representing numerous metro Atlanta area law enforcement agencies working together with the FBI’s Atlanta Metro Major Offender Task Force,” Johnson said.