CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley joined officials from the Cleveland Division of Police and U.S. Marshals Service on Monday to ask for the public’s help in finding two men involved in a November robbery crime spree.
Authorities have been searching for a pair of 21-year-olds, Nathaniel Rush and Damien Matthews, who are wanted for 10 aggravated robberies that took place in Cleveland and several other suburbs between Nov. 12 and Dec. 1 of 2023. A third suspect, 24-year-old Daeshoun Bethel, is already in custody.
Bethel appeared in court on Wednesday for an arraignment hearing where he pleaded not guilty. He will appear in court for a pretrial on March 6.
O'Malley noted that in at least one of the robberies, a fourth suspect was seen on surveillance video. However, officials have no information on a fourth accomplice as of yet.
Just after 7 p.m. Monday, officials confirmed that U.S. Marshals had arrested Rush in Garfield Heights, where he was caught with "several firearms" in his possession. Matthews, however, remains at large.
The robberies occurred in various locations, including Subway restaurants, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and various gas stations. O'Malley reported that seven of the robberies happened in Cleveland, with one each in Shaker Heights, Orange, and Warrensville Heights. Investigators say the three robbers would generally enter the stores, pretend to buy something, then hold customers and employees at gunpoint while committing robberies. In one instance, a gun was fired during a robbery.
“Keeping every community safe is our goal. That includes apprehending those who target our commercial businesses and terrorize employees,” said O’Malley. “We are asking for the public’s help. If you have any information regarding these individuals please call Crime Stoppers at 216.252.7463.”
Even with Rush in custody, Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County is still offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Matthews. If you have any information, call (216) 252-7463. You can also call the U.S. Marshals at 1-866-4WANTED.
Rush is expected to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on March 13.
"My suggestion to these individuals and their family members is to turn themselves in," added U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott during Monday's briefing.
You can see Monday's press conference in the player below.
When and where the robberies happened
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office lists the dates and locations of the aggravated robberies as follows:
- Aggravated Robbery #1: 11/12/2023: Zaza’s Smoke Shop – 6410 Harvard Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #2: 11/14/23: Subway – 6510 Harvard Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #3: 11/17/23: O’Reilly Auto Parts – 6535 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #4: 11/18/23: Advance Auto Parts – 7440 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #5: 11/25/23: Hookah Tales – 20019 Harvard Avenue, Warrensville Heights
- Aggravated Robbery #6: 11/25/23: Family Dollar – 16605 Miles Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #7: 11/28/23: Subway – 6551 Broadway Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #8: 11/29/23: Shell Gas Station – 27010 Chagrin Boulevard, Orange
- Aggravated Robbery #9: 11/30/23: O’Reilly Auto Parts – 11011 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland
- Aggravated Robbery #10: 12/1/23: BP Gas Station – 20420 Chagrin Boulevard, Shaker Heights
Surveillance video shows that during the robbery on Nov. 14, the victim was strangled and punched repeatedly for several minutes. O'Malley says it was during the Family Dollar robbery on Nov. 25 that investigators saw four suspects taking part in the crime.
Also, during the robbery on Nov. 30, a shot was fired that struck a window (no person was struck).
The charges
O'Malley's office says Daeshoun Bethel was indicted on the following charges:
- 13 counts of Aggravated Robbery
- Two counts of Kidnapping
- 26 counts of Robbery
- Two counts of Felonious Assault
- Seven counts of Improperly Handling Firearms In A Motor Vehicle
- Eight counts of Having Weapons While Under Disability
- One count of Receiving Stolen Property
Damien Matthews was indicted on the following charges:
- 15 counts of Aggravated Robbery
- Six counts of Kidnapping
- 28 counts of Robbery
- One count of Felonious Assault
- One count of Assault
- Five counts of Improperly Handling Firearms In A Motor Vehicle
Nathaniel Rush was indicted on the following charges:
- 11 counts of Aggravated Robbery
- Six counts of Kidnapping
- 20 counts of Robbery
- One count of Felonious Assault
- One count of Assault
- Two counts of Improperly Handling Firearms In A Motor Vehicle