A group of robbers has stolen a gambling machine from a smoke shop in Bakersfield, California. One of the suspects was successfully identified and has since been arrested.
One Man Was Arrested
The robbery occurred on December 3 at Discount Shack & Tobacco, a non-stop tobacco shop in the city. According to court filing, four men raided the property in the afternoon, with one of them holding the clerk at a gunpoint. In the meantime, two of the armed person’s accomplices stole a gambling machine from the property before fleeing.
Surveillance footage showed that two of the suspects were at the venue some time before the robbery and were playing the machine. Two other men arrived later in a Chevrolet Avalanche.
After examining the footage, investigators identified one of the four robbers as Saddam Mohamed. Authorities later tracked him down and arrested him at a residence in the city. At the time, he was driving the Chevrolet seen on the surveillance footage, an investigator noted. This wasn’t Mohamed’s first involvement in a similar case, the investigator added.
The Men Were Likely Assembling an Illegal Casino
As mentioned, Mohamed was linked to a separate theft of a gambling machine that had occurred just two days before the robbery of Discount Shack & Tobacco. When the police investigated the residence where they arrested Mohamed, they saw that the windows were boarded up.
On the inside, the authorities uncovered a multitude of stolen gambling machines. Investigators understood that many people had been frequenting the establishment, hinting that the robbers were stealing the machines in order to host illegal gambling.
Mohamed has since been charged with robbery and is held on $210K bail. His preliminary hearing is set to take place this month.
Shooting at Illegal Den in Queens Left One Dead
In other news, a separate illegal gambling den recently became the site of a deadly shooting. The property, located in Queens, was raided by three armed men who shot at the customers. Two men received gunshot wounds and, although one of them got away with minor injuries, the other one suffered a wound to the head. He died in the hospital four days later.
As illegal gambling continues to create trouble and nourish organized crime, the authorities in Turkey introduced new measures that would curb the proliferation of illegal gambling.
