Hundreds of shoes stolen in kidnapping, robbery of Virginia man, feds say
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Court documents filed Thursday give an in-depth look into a kidnapping in February that started in D.C. and crossed into Virginia before the victim was left in Maryland.
Documents said that the kidnapping happened on Feb. 25, 2024. Officials said that the victim was a reseller who would purchase limited edition sneakers and Bearbricks, which are collectible figurines.
At the time the documents were filed on Thursday, investigators were working to determine the exact items that were stolen because of the volume of things taken. Prosecutors said that the suspects stole $100,000 in cash that the victim had won from a casino, between 200 and 300 pairs of sneakers, almost all of the victim’s clothing, Bearbricks, guns that the victim legally owned, a gaming console, multiple pieces of jewelry and more.
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Documents said that the victim had two homes, one in Virginia where he kept most of his items for resale, and one in D.C., from which he was abducted. The suspects operated out of five different homes and used two cars for the kidnapping, according to the paperwork.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday, April 9 that two men. 30-year-old Timothy Williams and 20-year-old Jaevonn Archer, were arrested for the abduction. Both of them were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping.
Court documents said that a third person, whose identity was not known, was involved in the kidnapping.
A fourth man, 20-year-old Malik Williams, was arrested on Tuesday at one of the locations which law enforcement was searching. He is facing a firearms charge.
DC News Now reached out to attorneys for both Williams and Archer.
Attorney Todd Baldwin, who represents Archer said over text, “my client is presumed innocent and we are looking forward to his case being presented to the court. We would urge the public not to rush to any judgement before that time.”
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Kidnapping and Robbery Details
Documents said that the victim told law enforcement that someone had reached out to him on Instagram to buy a pair of his shoes. They agreed to meet between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.
Police said that the victim later identified the Instagram account as one that records show belonged to Timothy Williams.
A surveillance camera captured the victim’s car and a suspect’s car driving into the parking lot of the victim’s home in D.C. just before 1:05 a.m. The victim and Williams can be seen taking the elevator from the garage up to the victim’s apartment, where they spent more than 20 minutes.
Then, the two are seen taking the elevator to the garage just after 1:30 a.m. They walk into a part of the garage that isn’t covered by surveillance cameras, and the victim is not seen again until he was found in the morning in Maryland.
Documents said that the victim gave law enforcement a different account of what led up to the kidnapping. He told them that he agreed to meet with the buyer who reached out to him on Instagram in front of his home. After he arrived, he saw “an unknown man” get out of a car, and they started talking about a specific pair of limited edition sneakers.
The victim said that two armed people, whom he also did not know, walked up to him and forced him into the back of the car, binding him and blindfolding him.
The victim told law enforcement that he tried lifting his head up, but one of the kidnappers sat on him and forced his head down. He said that they hit him with a gun and demanded to know his address. Documents said that the victim gave them the address for his home in Virginia out of fear that they would go to the address on his license, where his family members lived.
The suspects tied the victim up in the back of one of their vehicles and went to the address that he provided.
Documents said that Williams and Jaevonn Archer entered the home through the building’s main lobby. They spent hours loading the victim’s belongings onto a dolly and loading them into their vehicles.
According to court documents, the two had hoods up at times but were not masked otherwise. Surveillance cameras in the building pictured Williams transporting a full dolly out of the building multiple times.
(Images courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office) (Images courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office) (Images courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office)
Documents said that during this time, the victim was tied up in the back of one of the suspects’ vehicles. He said that one of the suspects, whose identity was not known as of Thursday afternoon, sat on him to prevent him from moving.
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After they left, one of the kidnappers sent himself $1,000 via the victim’s phone on CashApp. Documents said that the account had an alias on the app but was registered to Archer via his date of birth, Social Security number, D.C. identification card and cell phone number.
That account’s activity also showed that the user sent money that same day to a CashApp account with Williams’ real name and other identifying information.
The kidnappers deleted everything from the victim’s phone before releasing him, including removing pictures and messages from his Instagram account and removing credit cards from his Apple Pay.
The Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) received a distress call from Capitol Heights, Md. around 7:15 a.m. Police responded around 7:30 a.m. and found the victim blindfolded and bound in his car, as the officers’ body-worn cameras recorded.
A witness told officers that they saw a white car pull into the block and park. Someone got out of that car and into another one before the witness saw people “dragging what appeared to be a lifeless person” from the second car into the white car. Then, the group got into the second car and left.
When the witness walked up to the white car, the witness saw the victim bound by zip ties with his eyes covered. The witness told the victim to unlock the door and was able to call 911 from the victim’s phone.
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Timeline of Kidnapping Events
The following is outlined in court documents:
1:04 a.m. — The victim’s vehicle and another vehicle enter the garage at the victim’s residence in D.C.
1:11 a.m. — The victim and Williams spend around 21 minutes inside a condo.
1:33 a.m. — This is the last time the victim is seen by a surveillance camera until police find him in the morning. The victim and Williams are seen taking the elevator to the garage before they move to an area without surveillance.
1:36 a.m. — The other vehicle that entered the garage leaves with the victim inside.
1:40 a.m. — Williams goes back into the condo and burglarizes it.
1:57 a.m. — The victim’s car leaves the D.C. residence. Officials believe Williams was driving the car.
3:01 a.m. — Williams and Archer fuel up both of the vehicles used in the kidnapping at a gas station.
3:35 a.m. — Those two vehicles arrive at the victim’s Virginia residence.
3:45 – 6:09 a.m. — Williams and Archer burglarize that residence.
6:13 a.m. — Both vehicles leave the Virginia residence.
6:45 a.m. — The vehicles get into the back alley of one of Williams’ residences.
7:07 a.m. — The victim is dragged from one of the vehicles to his own vehicle in Capitol Heights, Md.
7:30 a.m. — PGPD officers find the victim in his car.
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Events After Officers Found the Victim
Court documents said that Archer made calls to an inmate at the D.C. jail after the victim was “discarded.”
Around 9:50 a.m., a little more than two hours after the victim was found in his car, the inmate called Archer’s phone number and “asked whether [Archer] knew someone who had a bank account.” Documents said that the person who answered said that he did not, but quoted him as saying: “That little s*it I was telling you about went through,” saying that he had money for the inmate.
The person told the inmate to call back in 30 minutes, and the inmate called the phone number again around 11:45 a.m. During the phone call, the person who answered Archer’s phone said that they had around 200 boxes of shoes and a lot of AirPods and continued to go into detail about the items they had stolen.
“I got a Moncler coat today” is one of the statements quoted in the court documents.
Court documents said that Archer later was captured wearing the victim’s stolen Moncler coat while dining out at the Alero Restaurant on U Street in D.C. that same evening. That’s where the card associated with Archer’s CashApp account was recorded making a $299.83 purchase.
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Officials provided surveillance images of Archer at Alero Restaurant, where documents say he arrived with a group around 6:05 p.m. Documents said he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and an AMIRI cap that he was pictured wearing during the burglary at the victim’s home in Virginia.
Investigators said that a fingerprint from the victim’s TV screen matched Archer’s.
Search of Five Related Residences on April 9
On April 9, officials searched all five homes related to the suspects and seized both of the vehicles they said were used during the kidnapping.
Documents said that law enforcement officials still were going over evidence that was seized in the operation and were still waiting to search the cars.
Archer’s Residence — Maryland
Documents said that Archer was arrested at this home just after 6 a.m. on April 9.
Officers found three cell phones in a room. One of the phones was bent in half. Investigators believe he smashed it as police entered the home.
Officers also found a loaded pistol and ammunition, stock for a firearm and more firearm paraphernalia from around the house.
Law enforcement said it recovered drugs, including around 35 grams of pills that tested positive for a Schedule 1 synthetic opioid. The pills were in a prescription bottle that documents said did not belong to Archer.
Officers found “multiple boxes of shoes” in Archer’s house as well as the victim’s Moncler coat and the black hat that Archer was seen wearing at the Alero Restaurant and at the victim’s Virginia residence.
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Williams’ First Residence — Virginia
Law enforcement seized both of the vehicles that were supposed to have been used in the kidnapping at this location. Officers seized a bag filled with magazines and rifle ammunition.
Police said they also found the dolly used to take items out of the victim’s Virginia home and a hat that matched the one Williams was wearing during the kidnapping. They found the victim’s ID card, bank cards and concealed carry permit, as well.
Williams’ Second Residence — Maryland
Police arrested Williams at this location on the morning of April 9.
Inside, officials said they seized a satchel with the victim’s jewelry, three Bearbricks and three pairs of shoes, including a pair that Williams was wearing during the kidnapping.
Officers also found a CashApp card that matched the CashApp account to which Archer sent money on the day of the kidnapping.
Law enforcement found a vehicle that was not used in the kidnapping with paperwork identifying Williams. Inside it was a prescription bottle with the victim’s name on it, 11 boxes of shoes, suspected marijuana and a device for reprogramming vehicle key fobs.
Williams’ Third Residence — D.C.
This was where officials arrested Malik Williams, whom they believe is related to Timothy Williams.
Police found one of the firearms stolen from the victim between the mattress and box spring on which Malik Williams was.
Law enforcement also seized “dozens of boxes of shoes” in “every single room.” Court documents said that officials were sworking to count all of the boxes recovered at this residence.
Williams’ Fourth Residence — Maryland
Here, law enforcement found shoe boxes.
Police said that they recovered 18 unopened boxes of AirPods and 37 counterfeit pills that tested positive for N,N-Dimethylpentylone (which is a Schedule 1 controlled substance).
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