On October 26, 2023 U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney sentenced Antoine Williams, 35, to 14 years in prison for an armed robbery in Charlotte, NC at NY Jewelry & Repair Store located at 6121 South Boulevard.
Antoine was convicted of a firearms offense in connection with the armed robbery and possession of a weapon by an inmate after he stabbed an inmate in the face at jail.
The robbery was on February 5, 2019, at 4:37 p.m., Antoine and another individual entered the NY Jewelry & Repair Store with their faces covered.
The suspects were armed with guns, they encountered the store owner who was with a customer and ordered him into the backroom with two other employees. The suspects push the store owner.
Antoine and his co-conspirator then went to the front of the store and began stealing expensive jewelry. The co-conspirator fled the store with several items worth $160,000.
Antoine stayed behind and became involved in a struggle with the store owner. At some point during the struggle, Antoine discharged his firearm two times before fleeing the store.
The owner called 911 and officers located Antoine hiding under a vehicle at a nearby residence. Officers also recovered the firearm Antoine had used during the robbery and had attempted to discard while he was fleeing from the store.
The other robbery suspect was never caught.
While Antoine was in jail he had homemade weapons consisting of pieces of metal filed down on four different occasions.
On one occasion, Antoine used a homemade weapon to attack another inmate. During the altercation, Antoine cut the victim inmate with the weapon multiple times on the face and neck.
The victim required medical treatment due to injuries sustained from the attack.
Antoine pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence, in connection with the jewelry store armed robbery.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon by an inmate.
