Man pleads guilty to Wilmington armed robbery

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Durham man pleaded guilty Tuesday to an armed robbery and an attempted armed robbery that happened in Wilmington last June.

Ashton Harris, 27, will serve at least seven years in prison.

The plea came after two women testified that they were with Harris when he robbed a man at gunpoint behind Target on New Centre Drive shortly after 2 a.m. on June 15, 2016. Two other witnesses testified that he attempted to rob them on the corner of 8th and Queen Streets about an hour later.

The first victim approached the two women in the Waffle House parking lot on Market Street around 2 a.m. The victim spoke with them for a few minutes before Harris exited the restaurant and agreed to sell him drugs. The women, who had known Harris for approximately two weeks, admitted that they had driven him to the restaurant to get a takeout order. The victim got into the car with the group and was driven to a dark area behind Target. Once there, Harris pointed a gun at the victim’s head and robbed him of $600. The victim was forced out of the car and later called 911.

While police were investigating that crime, another robbery was reported on 8th and Queen Streets involving the same vehicle that was used in the Target robbery. The victims stated that a man wearing a bulletproof vest exited a red Volvo and pointed a gun at them. One victim positively identified Harris in court as the person who tried to rob the group.

Minutes later, officers with the Wilmington Police Department spotted the suspect vehicle in the Ramada Inn parking lot on Market Street. When they attempted to detain Harris, he disobeyed commands to turn the car off and took officers on a high-speed chase. He lost control and wrecked into a fence near Princess Place Drive. He managed to abandon the vehicle and got away on foot. The gun used in the robberies was recovered on a nearby sidewalk. Harris’ bulletproof vest was found in the car, along with one of the women who later testified against him. Evidence from the Target robbery was found in her apartment, where Harris had been staying with his girlfriend. He was caught by the U.S. Marshals later that morning after a brief foot chase.