A distinctive star tattoo became the key piece of evidence that helped convict Deneyvous Hobson, 38, a suspected member of the infamous “Chesapeake Bandits,” for his role in a brazen Valentine’s Day heist that targeted an armored truck in Hawthorne, California.
During the February 2022 robbery, the assailant kept his face concealed, but as he bent down to stuff a haul of over $166,000 into bags, his hoodie shifted, revealing a five-pointed star tattoo on his lower back. Prosecutors argued this tattoo was a match for Hobson’s, linking him to the robbery.
“The evidence of the defendant’s guilt is his tattoo,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason C. Pang during the trial’s opening statements. Hobson faced charges of conspiracy, robbery, and weapons violations, stemming from his alleged role in orchestrating and executing the heist.
The tattoo, captured on surveillance footage, became a contentious point of debate during the six-day trial. Defense attorneys called Alex Alonso, a scholar of street gang history and a former professor in the California State University system, as an expert witness. Alonso testified that the five-pointed star tattoo is commonly associated with various Los Angeles gangs, including the Trouble Gangster Crips, multiple Hoover gang factions, and two subsets of the Black P-Stones.
Prosecutors countered with testimony from LAPD Officer Dominic Pollio, a gang enforcement specialist who said he had interacted with hundreds of Black P-Stones members this year alone. When asked if he had seen the tattoo on the lower back of any gang members, Pollio answered no, emphasizing its unusual placement.
Despite the defense’s argument that having a similar tattoo in a similar location was insufficient to prove guilt, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict after just 40 minutes of deliberation.
Hobson, along with his half-brother and co-defendant, James Russell Davis, 36, was accused of ambushing a Sectran Security Services armored truck driver, Jose Guzman, while he was refilling an ATM at the Wescom Credit Union. Prosecutors revealed that the duo had cased the location weeks before the robbery.
Guzman, testifying in court, recounted the chilling encounter. “A person came up to me and put a gun to my head,” he said. “They told me if I tried anything, they were going to blow my head off.” Guzman said the robbers seized his .40-caliber handgun before stealing cash and checks worth $166,640.
As the robbers fled the scene, one fired a 9mm handgun, prosecutors said. Guzman, who had worked for Sectran for 11 years, said the trauma of the incident prompted him to leave his job soon after. “I didn’t want to risk it anymore,” he explained. “I had a young son at home.”
The robbery was one of several linked to the “Chesapeake Bandits,” a crew believed to have committed a series of heists targeting armored vehicles across the Los Angeles area. Investigators say the group earned its nickname because members reportedly planned their robberies at a home on Chesapeake Avenue in the city’s West Adams neighborhood.
Law enforcement described the group’s tactics as methodical and ruthless, often forcing security guards to the ground at gunpoint, zip-tying them, and grabbing cash bags before making swift getaways.
Hobson, who has been in federal custody since February 2023, faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. Davis, who was arrested by the FBI and pleaded guilty to robbery and gun charges earlier this year, was sentenced to nearly 14 years in federal prison.
The case highlights the growing sophistication of organized crime in Los Angeles and the challenges law enforcement faces in dismantling such crews. For Guzman, however, the ordeal remains personal. Now working for a cement trucking company, he said he has no regrets about leaving his high-risk job. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to make it home to my family,” he said.
The verdict marks another significant blow to the Chesapeake Bandits, a group that authorities say left a trail of fear and violence across the region.
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