‘Don’t be stupid,’ suspect said in Wichita robbery. Now he faces federal charges

A Wichita man suspected of a series of armed robberies was first identified when allegedly robbing a store where a former coworker recognized him, according to police.

That man, 20-year-old Darren Lyzel Green, was charged Tuesday in federal court with 10 crimes stemming from five robberies, court records shows. A sixth attempted robbery was reportedly foiled when Green realized the person he was trying to rob was a former classmate and fled without getting any money.

A Wichita Police Department detective who is also a Federal Bureau of Investigation task force officer detailed the investigation into those cases in an affidavit filed in support of the charges.

The first robbery happened July 8 at Burger King, 3500 S. Meridian, the affidavit states. An employee told police that he had gone to the back door to let a coworker in when a “dark figure” ran toward them. The employee said he tried to shut the door, but the robber put his foot in the way.

“Don’t be stupid, get on the ground,” the robber said, according to what the employee told police.

The robber, who was wearing a skeleton mask, then pointed the gun at the head of a third employee.

“Give me the safe,” the robber demanded.

The third employee then gave the robber cash from the till drawer before he left through the same door he entered. He was dropping money on the way out, police were told.

The second robbery happened more than a month later, when a man in a mask went into the Meridian Grocery store on Aug. 28. An employee told police he was getting ready to close the store at 2719 S. Meridian when a man walked in, pointed the gun at him and demanded money. The employee complied.

The next day, Aug. 29, a third robbery was reported at Domino’s Pizza, 2047 W. 21st. An employee reported to law enforcement that a man with a gun and wearing a skeleton mask came in through the front door and demanded all the restaurant’s money. The employee opened the safe and gave him cash, and he ran out the back door.

The fourth robbery occurred when Green was first identified, according to the affidavit.

It happened about a month later, on Oct. 20, when a man wearing a yellow Walmart vest went to the Money Center in the store at 3030 N. Rock. He gave a handwritten note to an employee at the counter.

“Do not die. I have AIDS. Do not panic. Put all money in bag,” the note read.

The robber then walked around the counter and put a handgun against an employee’s ribs, police were told. He then pointed the weapon at another person and said “hurry up and get the drawer open.” He fled once he had the stolen money in a bank bag.

Another Walmart employee who was at the store during the robbery told police she recognized the suspect as Green. She said she knew him because they used to work together at a Dollar General at Pawnee and Meridian.

Green is also accused of robbing one business and attempting to rob another the next day, on Oct. 21.

The attempted robbery happened first, at Check into Cash, 2424 S. Seneca. An employee told police that a man walked in and handed her a note demanding money. She told him that she didn’t have any money, and he then asked about the store’s money. She said she would get in trouble.

“What if I hold you at gunpoint?” the robber asked, according to what she told police. He pointed at her what she believed to be a gun that was concealed under his jacket.

The employee said she went to the back of the store to the safe and called 911 at the same time. When she came back, she found that the man had left without taking any money.

Green later told police, according to the affidavit, that he got nervous because he recognized the woman from when they went to school together. He still remembered the former classmate’s first name.

The final robbery was at Advance America, 601 N. Ridge. An employee told police that he thought the robber was joking, in part because his face wasn’t covered.

“No seriously give me the money,” the robber said before pulling out a gun, the employee told police.

The employee then gave a bag of money to the robber.

Green was arrested on Thursday, or three days after the last robbery. Police said in court documents that Green confessed to the robberies during an interrogation. He identified himself as the person pictured in surveillance photos. He told police that he knew what he did was wrong.

Green also told detectives that he threw the gun into the river after the last robbery and took them to the spot where he said he threw it. Firefighters with the Wichita Fire Department were unable to find the gun.

Green stole a total of about $10,800 in the robberies, police said. No one was hurt in any of the robberies. He faces five counts of obstructing commerce by robbery and five counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 8:32 PM.