Three arrested in armed robbery case

KALAMAZOO—Three suspects have been arrested and charged with armed robbery in connection with two robberies that took place on the Western Michigan University campus late Dec. 6, as well as a third robbery at a 7-Eleven store just west of the campus that evening.

The Kalamazoo County Sherriff's Office in conjunction with the WMU Department of Public Safety announced the arrests Dec. 13. The three are being held in the Kalamazoo County Jail and are expected to be arraigned Friday, Dec. 14. They are:

• Antoine Bernard Cantrell, 19
• Ryan Donnell Hattaway, 20, and
• Jocelyn LaShawn Walker, 18.

All three are Kalamazoo residents who are originally from the east side of the state. Cantrell and Hattaway are students at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, while Walker is a WMU student.

The suspects were identified after they were arrested in connection with a purse snatching Dec. 10 at a store on S. 9th Street. In that incident, the suspects fled in a vehicle after the purse was taken, only to be involved in a crash a short distance from the scene. All three were apprehended after fleeing the crash on foot.

Deputies noted the similarity of the suspects to the description of the suspects in the Dec. 6 robberies. Detectives from WMU and the sheriff's office interviewed the suspects, who admitted their involvement in the earlier robberies. Officers are continuing to investigate and look at the suspects for possible involvement in similar crimes in the area.