NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Monday, a Newport News man was convicted of brandishing a gun to rob a convenience store in Henrico County.
Chaikim Reynolds, now 21, went to rob the gas station store on Jan. 17, 2019.
He went into the gas station store with 23-year-old Darrell Pittman of Hampton, who later pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said Pittman pointed a handgun at the cashier while Reynolds took money from the cash register. That night, they got away.
However, a Hampton police officer recognized Reynolds from security footage.
Police found them within the week, in a car, trying to evade officers. Reynolds was driving, and crashed his car into another vehicle, killing that driver.
When police got him and Reynolds out of the car, they found a loaded gun that matched the one used in the robbery.
He was convicted of a robbery charge (which could mean 20 years in prison) and brandishing a gun during a violent crime (which carries a sentence of seven years to life).
Reynolds will be sentenced in April 2023, and will serve his jail time consecutively, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
