An Atlanta man was sentenced to five life sentences, plus 25 years in prison, after being convicted of five armed robberies, the Fulton County District Attorney said Friday.
The jury deliberated about 30 minutes Thursday afternoon before convicting Dennis Stallings, 23, on armed robbery and weapons charges for a string of Valentine’s Day crimes, according to DA Paul Howard.
Stallings and as many as three other unidentified men targeted pedestrians on Avon Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway in southwest Atlanta and in the 10th Street and 12th Street areas in Midtown for about two hours, beginning around 3 a.m., Howard’s office said.
“The robbing crew drove around in a red sedan in search of victims,” Yvette Brown, Howard’s spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. “Once they spotted a target, the men would rush from the vehicle and ambush the victim at gunpoint.”
The gunmen committed five separate robberies and stole several personal items and electronics, Brown said. A tracking device on one of the stolen cell phones led police to Stallings, who was found in the getaway car in a store parking lot and arrested.
Stallings has an extensive criminal history, including a prior felony conviction for burglary and aggravated battery, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. During that arrest, Stallings fought with police and broke the police officer’s arm, Brown said.
Stallings is ineligible for parole, Howard said.
About the Author
