At approximately 6:20 a.m. Friday, members of the Raleigh Police Department representing multiple organizational units executed a search warrant at 6037 Big Sandy Dr. A resident of that address, Armond Devega, 27, was taken into custody.
Devega has been charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and nine counts of robbery. In addition to several crimes, an arrest warrant charges Devega with the murder of Anthony Dwayne Scarborough, 33.
Scarborough was shot to death on the night of February 13 at 508 Tartan Circle. The attempted murder charge stems from the shooting that occurred during the robbery of the Mexico Lindo on September 10.
On September 12, the Raleigh Police Department released information indicating seven armed robberies of commercial establishments may be related, including one that resulted in a murder, one in which a store employee was wounded by gunfire and a third in which a shot was fired.
Two additional robberies have been linked to the same pattern – crimes occurring on February 1 and 13 involving robberies of a Wilco Hess store at 7413 Louisburg Road. In both instances, a suspect entered the store at approximately 5 a.m. as the clerk was opening it for the day and robbed it at gunpoint.
- The chronology of potentially related cases is as follows in 2008:
- January 23, robbery at Subway on Durant Road.
- February 1, robbery at Wilco Hess on Louisburg Road.
- February 13, robbery at Wilco Hess on Louisburg Road.
- April 5, robbery at Subway on Capital Blvd.
- April 10, murder with robbery motive, at Wilco Hess on Trawick Road.
- May 7, robbery with shot fired, at Subway on Six Forks Road.
- May 24, robbery at Capital Food Mart on Capital Blvd.
- June 5, robbery at Bojangles on Durant Road.
- September 10, robbery with clerk shot at Mexico Lindo on Wake Forest Road.
Devega has been transported to the Wake County Jail.
The investigation of the cases remains underway by the department's Major Crimes Task Force, and the RPD continues to solicit information from the public. The special tip line number for the cases remains active.
Derrick Cox lives right next door to Don and Rose Devega who, according to tax records, own the 3,100 square foot home on Big Sandy Drive.
"We didn't know what was going on," Cox said. "We were surprised. Our kids woke up and they came running into our room."
Some of his neighbors say police carted away the Devega's adult son who is in his 20's or 30's.
"They're real nice people. The son, I don't know him personally. I just know him when I see him outside," said Cox. "But I have spoken with the parents, talked to them. They're real nice people, real nice people."
Every neighbor Eyewitness News spoke with said the same thing that the Devega's do good deeds for others and are "god-fearing" people.
"You don't see police like that in full force unless it's something serious. So that was my concern," Cox said. "I didn't know exactly what it was, but I want to know what exactly went down."
One neighbor counted at least 25 police cars, but whatever called for that show of force, police just won't say right now.
