A man being held without bond in the Alexandria jail faces robbery charges for allegedly walking into convenience stores in Alexandria and Fairfax County with a hammer or tire iron and stealing cigarettes from behind the counters.
Anthony Nyreki Edwards, of no fixed address, goes to court Friday, Aug. 15 on two counts of felony robbery with a weapon. He was arrested on April 30 and has been linked to numerous incidents, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit:
- Feb. 11, 2025 — A man covered from head to toe in clothing, including gloves, a hood and mask walked into the 7-Eleven at 421 E. Braddock Road. The suspect was wielding a tire iron and went behind the counter and stole multiple cartons of Newport cigarettes, which he places in an Intex brand duffel bag
- March 8, 2025 — A man similarly dressed in a mask and gloves walked into the 7-Eleven at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue. The suspect held a hammer and went behind the counter and stole multiple cartons of Newports, placed them in a large bag and fled the scene on foot
- March 30, 2025 — A man in a mask, hood and gloves and holding a hammer stole Newport cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 3023 Duke Street
- April 4, 2025 — A man in a mask, hood and gloves and holding a hammer stole Newport cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 2405 Fairhaven Avenue in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County
- April 21, 2025 — A man in a mask, hood and gloves and holding a hammer stole Newport cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 3023 Duke Street (the second offense at this location)
- April 24, 2025 — A man in a mask, hood and gloves and holding a hammer stole Newport cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at 2405 Fairhaven Avenue in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County (the second offense at this location), and placed the cigarettes in an Intex brand duffel bag
Edwards was arrested after the last incident. During the robbery, he was allegedly confronted by a retired Metropolitan Police officer, who pursued the suspect until the Fairfax County Police Department found him in a “vacant residence,” where a baseball cap “used in at least two of the robberies” and an Intex bag and hammer were recovered, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Edwards was charged with two Class Five felonies, punishable by a prison sentence of one to ten years, or confinement in jail for up to 12 months, and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
