WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Two men are facing federal charges after allegedly robbing a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint in Washtenaw County.
A Hungry Howie’s Pizza delivery driver told police he went to Maplelawn Drive in Ypsilanti on Aug. 11 and couldn’t find the address from the order.
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The delivery driver called the phone number associated with the order. A man answered the phone and reportedly told the driver they were walking outside to meet. The driver saw two men walking up to him, so he began walking towards the men with pizza and soda.
Police said the driver handed one of the men the soda, and the other asked if he had change for $100. The driver checked his pockets for change and then looked up to find a gun being pointed at him by one of the men.
The man told the driver to empty his pockets and leave. Police said the two men took the pizza, the driver’s phone, AirPods, and wallet. They then reportedly rummaged through his car and left.
A K9 track was conducted in the area and ended at the intersection of Landsdowne Lane and Wellington Lane. While deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office were canvassing the area, the delivery driver told dispatch that one of his credit cards had been used at a liquor store in Ypsilanti.
On Aug. 12, deputies responded to a home in Ypsilanti because a woman asked for her son’s friend, Delorian Durhal Jr., to be removed from her home.
According to court documents, her home is about a tenth of a mile from where the K9 track ended after the robbery.
When deputies went into the home, they found Hungry Howie’s pizza boxes, the delivery driver’s stolen credit cards and one loaded semiautomatic pistol under Durhal’s pillow.
Durhal was then arrested.
Authorities said the pizza boxes found in the home had an attached receipt showing the same phone number used to place the order that led to the robbery.
Rashad Keyes was also at the home and was questioned about the robbery. He reportedly denied knowing anything about the robbery or where the pizzas came from.
Video footage
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office obtained video surveillance footage from an employee at the liquor store where the stolen credit cards were used on Aug. 11.
Investigators found Burhal and Keyes arriving at the liquor store in a blue SUV together.
Inside the store, Durhal was seen at the counter using one of the stolen credit cards. Keyes was also seen with Durhal.
A screenshot from the surveillance video shows Keyes and Durhal at the liquor store using the stolen credit cards. Authorities said Durhal is seen wearing a black “Tupac” shirt and has tattoos. Keyes can be seen next to him.
Police find guns, phone, pizza box
On Aug. 18, authorities executed a search warrant at the home in Ypsilanti where Keyes and Durhal were found on Aug. 12.
Officers knocked and announced their presence and reason for being at the house. A woman could be heard saying she was coming to the door. Police said after the door was “not opened in a timely manner,” authorities forced entry.
Police found Keyes and a young girl inside the home. Keyes was then arrested.
Investigators found the following items in a bedroom believed to belong to Keyes’ brother:
- A loaded Glock with a machinegun conversion device attached, which is considered a machinegun under federal law, in the closet
- A loaded Palmetto State Armory, multi-caliber pistol, in the closet
- An Apple iPhone, believed to belong to Keyes, located on the floor near the closet
Investigators also found three loaded AR magazines underneath the bed in Keyes’ bedroom, a black “Tupac” shirt in the basement and an empty Hungry Howie’s Pizza box in the garbage can.
Photo lineup
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office conducted a photo lineup with the delivery driver. During the photo lineup, the delivery driver identified Durhal as one of the robbers. He was not able to positively identify the other person.
Talking in code on recorded jail calls
During the investigation, authorities said multiple jail calls were made between Durhal and Keyes.
Court documents provided the following conversations between the two:
Aug. 12 at 1:07 p.m.
Durhal: “They find anything? They find anything, brother?”
Keyes: “Yeah, I’m texting him right now. I said, ‘Dee locked up. They came in the house. He wasn’t even doing anything. He was asleep.”
Durhal: “They find anything?”
Keyes: “Hell naw.”
Durhal: “They ain’t find nothing?”
Keyes: “Hell naw.”
Durhal: “You got everything?”
Keyes: “No, bro.”
Durhal: “You got four on you.”
Keyes: “No. They got nickel. They said nickel was right next to you.”
Durhal: “Yeah, I was asleep. It was under the pillow.”
On Aug. 12 at 2:45 p.m., Durhal called the same number and referred to the man who answered at “Shad,” which is believed to be short for Rashad.
Court documents claim that the two were aware they were being recorded by law enforcement and often spoke in code.
In the call court documents provided, authorities believe Durhal was referring to other guns in Keyes’ home when he asked if Keyes had “four” on him.
When Keyes responded “no” because “they got nickel,” authorities believe they were referring to the gun found under the pillow when he was arrested.
On Aug. 18, after Keyes’ arrest, a phone call was made to a number belonging to Keyes’ mother.
At around the 1-minute mark of the call, Keyes asked if they found anything in the home. She responds, “Yeah, they took it all out.”
Keyes then audibly sighs and stays silent. The woman then said, “That means Delorian told them what was in here.”
On Aug. 19, at 1:35 p.m., a phone call was made to another phone number by Keyes. At around the three-minute 50-second time stamp, he started telling a woman about the search warrant deputies executed at his home.
The woman then tells Keyes, “They told me they saw you taking the pizza boxes out,” and starts laughing.
Keyes asked her who had told her that, and she told him it was his brother and another person. Keyes then told her, “I don’t know about that man; we’re on a recorded call.”
At around the 10-minute 30-second time stamp, Keyes, who was then talking to a different person, asked, “Do you know if they found any ‘yops’ in the crib, or they don’t know 30.”
The person responded, “I think they did, bleed, I ain’t going to lie to you.”
According to court documents, “yop” can refer to a firearm.
Keyes then talks about getting charged with the guns recovered and having to “step up.” At the 12-minute 30-second mark, the other person told Keyes, “You know n**** saying D snitched, right?”
Keyes then told the person he knew people were saying this, but started defending “D.”
Federal charges
According to court documents, one of the guns recovered had a machinegun conversion device on it, making it illegal to possess.
“As this type of machinegun conversion device was manufactured after the machinegun ban in 1986, none of these devices can be legally possessed by civilians,” state court documents.
Keyes and Durhal face federal charges of interference with commerce by robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and possession of a machinegun.