Washington, D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Rob a Dunbar Armored Truck Carrying Over $2 Million in Cash

Fired Three Rounds at the Truck; Entered a Home with Rifle in Effort to Obtain Getaway Car

May 21, 2010 - GREENBELT, MD—Toumani Touray Thomas, age 33, of Washington, D.C. pleaded guilty today to attempting to rob a Dunbar armored truck containing over $2 million in cash and firing a rifle during the robbery attempt.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to Thomas’ plea agreement, on October 16, 2009, Thomas approached a Dunbar armored truck stopped at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland while one of its crew, the “hopper,” was inside making a routine pick-up. The armored truck was carrying over $2 million and had made cash pickups from businesses that day in both the District of Columbia and Maryland. Thomas tried to open the driver’s side door. When the hopper returned, he ordered Thomas away, and Thomas returned to his car. The armored truck crew called 911 when they observed Thomas following them. At the direction of the 911 operator, the crew stopped their truck on Powder Mill Road near the intersection with Cherry Hill Road in Prince George’s County. There, Thomas stepped out of his car, retrieved a rifle from inside and fired a round into the rear of the armored truck.

The truck’s crew attempted to escape by driving away. Thomas pursued them in his car, passed the truck and made a U-turn in front of the truck around the 3600 block of Powder Mill Road. Thomas again exited his car and fired two rounds into the front of the armored truck. Police arrived and Thomas fled in his car.

When police located Thomas’ vehicle at an intersection, witnesses informed the officers that they had observed a man fitting Thomas’ description leave the car carrying a rifle. Thomas attempted to get car keys from a person inside a store but was refused and fled.

Thomas entered a private residence on Lexington Avenue still carrying the rifle and asked its occupants for the keys to a vehicle. The occupants fled their house. Police arrived at the home and shot Thomas when he attempted to flee the house armed with his rifle.

Thomas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the attempted robbery and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and maximum sentence of life in prison, concurrent to any sentence imposed for the attempted robbery, for possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus has scheduled sentencing for September 9, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Adam K. Ake, who is prosecuting the case.