ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that several teenagers have been indicted for their role in various robberies in Amherst, Buffalo and the Town of Tonawanda.
All of the adolescent offenders are being prosecuted in the Erie County Youth Part court, according to the district attorney's office.
The district attorney's office says Jaylan Holliday, 18, of Buffalo and a 17-year-old male from Buffalo were both virtually arraigned on October 1 on an indictment. The indictment charges both teenagers with one count of robbery in the first degree, a class B violent felony, and one count of robbery in the second degree, a class C violent felony.
Holliday was also charged with one count of attempted robbery in the first degree, a class C violent felony.
It's alleged that both teenagers, while "acting in concert with one another," forcibly stole a woman's wallet on July 30.
Allegedly both teenagers approached a woman who was sitting in her car at a convenience store on Niagara Street in Buffalo. The teenagers allegedly opened the door and demanded money from the woman. Holliday allegedly punched the woman in the face several times and displayed what appeared to be a gun.
Following the incident, Holliday allegedly drove to a gas station on Bailey Avenue and demanded money from the gas station attendant while displaying a gun. Holliday then allegedly retreated after the victim, who is Muslim, displayed a knife in self-defense.
Holliday and the 17-year-old male are set to return to court on November 19. They currently remain held without bail.
The DA's office also announced the arrest of Martez Smalls, 18, and a 15-year-old male from Buffalo. Both were arraigned on Wednesday on an indictment charging them with five counts of robbery in the first degree, class B violent felonies.
While working in concert with one another, both allegedly stole a cellphone and wallet forcibly from a person on Highland Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda on July 27 at 9 p.m. It is also alleged that the teenagers displayed what appeared to be a firearm.
Following that incident, the teenagers allegedly approached four people on Capen Boulevard in Amherst around 9:30 p.m. While working together, they allegedly displayed a firearm and forcibly stole property from all four Muslim victims, including cell phones wallets, car keys, and two vehicles.
The DA's office says both teenagers were located a short time later by Buffalo Police inside the alleged stolen vehicles at a parking lot near the Langfield Homes apartment complex. Both allegedly tried to flee police in the vehicles.
The DA's office says one of the vehicles that was reported stolen was also involved in a crash with another car, which was unrelated to the alleged robbery.
Both are scheduled to return to court on December 3.
The DA's office says a third suspect, a 16-year-old male, was also charged as a co-defendant in the case. The teenager did not appear in court for arraignment, and the DA's office says an indictment warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced last October that the Erie County District Attorney's Office and the Buffalo Police Department were actively investigating reported robberies that appeared to target members of the Muslim community.
Anyone with information on these crimes or other incidents are asked to contact the Erie County DA's Office at (716) 858-2424.
