Newton Citizen

COVINGTON - A Covington man was brazenly robbed at gunpoint while walking down Turner Street at about 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, according to the Covington Police Department.

The bandit got away with a cell phone and only $3 in cash. He was shortly apprehended.

Pangelo Denissio Grier, 17, of 6130 Johnson Drive was arrested and charged with armed robbery in connection with the incident.

According to a CPD incident report, the victim said Grier, whom he only knew as "Pilo," approached him with his hand in his left pocket, showing him a small gun, the CPD incident report states. The victim said the suspect told him "not to move, don't run and be still. At this time the black man reached his hand in both (the victim's) front pockets removing a cell phone and $3 cash."

The report said the suspect turned and walked back down Turner Street, while the victim went to a nearby recycling center and called 911.

The victim was able to give a good description of the suspect and it was soon discovered he lived at with his mother in the Covington Housing Authority complex. Officers went to the residence and arrested Grier without incident.

The incident report states that the suspect's mother urged him to tell the police the truth about what happened because otherwise "she was going to get put out of her apartment and that she had nowhere to go ..."

The suspect then admitted his involvement in the crime and told officers that he had hidden the gun he used in the upstairs hall closet. He said he was not sure where the cell phone was located.

"Sgt. (Chris) Cain then asked Grier about the money and he said, 'What money? That dude only had $3 in his pocket,'" according to the incident report.

Officers located the 25-caliber gun in the closet and placed it and one bullet into evidence. The victim's cell phone was found under Grier's bed.

Barbara Knowles can be reached at barbara.knowles@newtoncitizen.com.