Bayshore Qdoba attempted robbery, 18-year-old sentenced to prison
GLENDALE, Wis. - A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to two years in prison for the March attempted robbery of the Qdoba at Bayshore.
Marqavion Williams, 18, pleaded guilty Friday to attempted armed robbery and false imprisonment. He was initially charged with armed robbery, and several other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
In addition to prison time, Williams was sentenced to five years of extended supervision.
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The night of March 13, police were called to the Qdoba for an armed robbery in progress. According to a criminal complaint, Williams admitted to going there that morning to "scope it out." Police said he had a 16-year-old with him.
Williams told investigators they committed the crime because "they needed money for a car," per the complaint. According to prosecutors, he made up a story about trying to buy a car with "fake money," and he said the seller threatened to harm him if he did not get the rest of the money owed. He later admitted to making that story up, telling police he would have committed the crime regardless of whether he was being threatened.
Security video shows Bayshore Qdoba robbery suspects fall through ceiling on March 13
As for the robbery, the complaint said Williams told investigators the plan was to "get in there" and "scare someone...enough to get money and get out of there before (the police) showed up." He said he and the 16-year-old waited in the bathroom until the manager was alone, pointing a gun at the manager and ordering the manager to open the safe.
The complaint states Williams told the manager: "I don't want to do this, but I'll shoot you. We need the money...need to get into the safe. We know there's a safe." The manager, who said he "felt something pressed against his back" during the ordeal, said they could not open the safe, and indicated all the money was in the cash registers up front. When Williams and the 16-year-old went to the front of the restaurant, the manager ran out of the store. Williams said at this point, they saw police had already arrived, so they climbed into the ceiling.
Bayshore Qdoba robbery video; suspects fall through ceiling
Video from inside the Bayshore Qdoba shows the moment a man and a girl – hiding from Glendale police – fell from the ceiling on March 13.
While they were in the ceiling, the complaint said police called Williams' phone 48 times, but he didn't answer. When they texted him, prosecutors said he "said he was afraid and sorry for what he had done," and he "did not mean to hurt anyone and just wanted to go home." He did not come down from the ceiling, though.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office's SWAT team was called in, and pepper spray was deployed into the ceiling. The complaint says "40mm impact rounds" were deployed into the ceiling tiles around midnight to make the pepper balls more effective. Williams and the 16-year-old were arrested when they fell from the ceiling in a vacant business next to the Qdoba.
Prosecutors said Williams indicated they got into the vacant unit by making a hole in the drywall between Qdoba and the vacant business. Police said a handgun was recovered from the ceiling. The complaint notes that Williams is under 21, and could not legally have a concealed carry permit due to being underage. The complaint said Williams initially denied it was his gun and said it was a BB gun, later admitting he'd stolen it from his grandfather.