Five arrested in recent residential and home invasion robberies

By Tiffany Gibson

Friday, April 16, 2010 | 7:11 p.m.

Metro Police say they have arrested five people in connection with several recent residential and home invasion robberies in the Las Vegas Valley.

Two of the suspects were arrested Thursday after a break-in at an apartment in the area of Rochelle Avenue and Arville Street, police said.

Officers saw two men break in through a window and come out the front door with items from the home, police said. They followed the men as they left in two separate vehicles, police said.

One of the suspect vehicles was pulled over and the driver arrested without incident, police said.

The driver of the other vehicle rammed an unmarked police car and tried to flee, police said. Officers chased the suspect to near the intersection of West Tropicana Avenue and Arville Street, where the vehicle crashed and overturned, police said.

The driver got out, hopped a wall and tried to get away, but officers arrested him without further incident, police said.

Investigators linked the men and three other suspects with several prior crimes, police said.

David Hayes, 34, Susan Cowen, 19, Abdul Shakir, 40, Loenard Hunt, 40, and Jovan Carter, 23, have all been arrested, police said.

Hayes is charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, burglary with the use of a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Cowen was arrested on three counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of stolen property.

Shakir is charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, burglary with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Hunt is charged with home invasion, burglary, grand larceny and two counts of battery on a police officer with a deadly weapon.

Cater is facing charges of home invasion, burglary and grand larceny.

Police say they recovered a black Ford van Thursday night in the parking lot of an apartment complex, near the intersection of Dumont Boulevard and Cambridge Street, that is believed to have been used in at least one of the previous home invasion robberies.

The investigation in ongoing, police said.