Feds Charge Jamaican National With Armed Robbery, Shooting At NYPD Officer In Westchester

MOUNT VERNON, NY — One of the suspects police say were behind a violent armed robbery in Westchester is now facing federal charges.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the NY Field Office of the FBI, Christopher G. Raia, announced the unsealing of a complaint against Jamaican national Jamaire Robertson in connection with Friday's armed robbery of a Mount Vernon gas station attendant.

Robertson was arrested that same day and presented in Manhattan federal court on Saturday, when the judge ordered him to be detained.

SEE ALSO: Westchester Gas Station Robbery Leads To Shootout With NYPD, Suspects Remain At Large

The 28-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He was also charged with "using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence," which carries an additional minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, which must be served consecutive to any other term imposed.

"As alleged, Jamaire Robertson committed a terrifying gunpoint robbery of a gas station attendant and then, minutes later, shot at police officers trying to stop him on a residential street in Mount Vernon," Clayton said. "Those willing to use guns and violence to terrorize our community and put law enforcement lives at risk should expect to face serious consequences. Anyone who disrupts the safety of New Yorkers and the dedicated officers responsible for keeping us all safe will be swiftly brought to justice."

According to the complaint, on Friday morning, Robertson and another suspect got out of Robertson's vehicle that was parked near Robertson's apartment in the Bronx, and around 5:19 a.m., headed towards a gas station on Mount Vernon Avenue, in Mount Vernon.

Around 5:29 a.m., Robertson and the other suspect, each brandishing a handgun, violently robbed the gas station attendant, stealing about $500-$600 in cash from the victim along with the victim's wallet. The incident was captured on video surveillance.

The suspects then fled the gas station and separated, with Robertson hiding on a residential street in Mount Vernon, near the Bronx border. Robertson was seen fleeing by NYPD officers who were aware of the gas station robbery that had just taken place. When the NYPD officers attempted to approach him, Robertson fired his handgun and fled, discarding the weapon and a black hooded sweatshirt, which authorities recovered from the scene.

Security cameras from Robertson's apartment building captured him returning home around 6:25 a.m. in his underwear and a t-shirt, and disposing additional clothing down a trash chute later that day, before he was arrested.

"Jamaire Robertson and his associate allegedly robbed a local gas station employee by brandishing firearms to forcefully steal the victim's wallet, and Robertson allegedly fired upon officers," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. "Not only did Robertson's alleged actions terrorize a random citizen for a nominal payout, but they also recklessly endangered the lives of local law enforcement officers. This arrest reflects the FBI's enduring determination to apprehend any armed criminal through Operation Summer Heat, so our communities are protected from unnecessary acts of violence."

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact the FBI through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or by completing its online tip form.