Two Pierce College students were arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and have been charged with a robbery that left one man seriously injured.
Devin Duckett, 19, and Michael Hildebrand, 20, were charged with first-degree robbery, a felony which carries a possible prison sentence of between three and nine years. Both entered not guilty pleas at their arraignment on Oct. 30. The robbery the pair are charged with occurred on Monday, Oct. 12, at an apartment near Sherman Way and Winnetka Avenue.
Both Duckett and Hildebrand have ties to the Brahmas football team. Hildebrand is listed as a linebacker on the team’s roster, but according to football head coach Jason Sabolic, Hildebrand has been expelled from the team. Duckett was grayshirting, but has not been involved with the Brahmas since summer.
Douglas Johnson, a robbery detective with the L.A. Police Department Topanga Division, confirmed the unidentified victim of the robbery is a man who sustained a broken jaw during the attack, but could not elaborate on details of the case.
Hildebrand was arrested by the LAPD in Sabolic’s office, Duckett was arrested off-campus.
According to a source close to the investigation, Hildebrand and Duckett were “positively identified.” The robbery appears to have been an attempt to purchase marijuana that “went wrong,” and caused the victim to lose at least one tooth, according to the source, who added that marijuana is “by far the most prevalent” cause of drug-related robberies.
Bail for both Hildebrand and Duckett was set at $100,000. According to the L.A. County inmate information system Hildebrand posted bail. It is unknown if Duckett has posted bail as well or if he remains in police custody. Both defendants are scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Friday, Nov. 13 at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
[This article was updated on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 at 3:45 p.m.]
