Five teens arrested in connection with violent Valentine's Day game room robbery

Five teens have been arrested in connection with a violent Valentine's Day game room holdup in north Fort Worth in which heavily armed robbers opened fire on customers.

The teens, ages 16 to 18, were arrested in late March, police said Thursday at a news conference. They were identified as Anthony LaSalle Barber, Paul Dejuan Garner, Jcolby Tyjae Jackson, all 18, and Brenshay Jarrell Washington, 17. The 16-year-old juvenile was not identified.

"Three were armed," detective Paul Vega said. "They have a violent history, but at this time this is the only robbery they are accused of."

Vega and police Sgt. Chris Britt credited tips with speeding up the investigation.

"This was a quick resolution because of the help we received," Britt said.

Police were called to the game room at 3255 N. Beach St. just after 4:15 a.m. Feb. 14. According to police records, at least six customers inside were robbed of their cash and wallets.

After shooting up the game room and robbing its customers, the suspects fled the scene, police said. One wore a clown mask and carried a rifle that closely resembled an AK-47.

Surveillance video shows the suspects opening fire as soon as they enter the business. White ceiling fragments can be seen falling from the impact of multiple rounds. An 18-year-old woman was shot in the leg.

"They entered the game room and immediately opened fire," detective Brian Raynsford said during a news conference days after the holdup. "They fired randomly in the building and it resulted in the serious injury to one victim."

Police found "a large number of shell casings in the crime scene," said officer Tracy Carter, a police spokesman.

Witnesses initially said there were four assailants, but after viewing security footage at the business, C'est La Vie Bida, police sought five suspects.

Game rooms are filled with video consoles on which customers play slots, video poker or other games in hopes of winning "credits" instead of cash payouts.

The four adult suspects were in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday facing charges of aggravated robbery. The 16-year-old faces a delinquent conduct/aggravated robbery charge.

Garner faces an additional charge of evading arrest, and Jackson faces an added charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon, according to jail records.

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Five teens arrested in connection with violent Valentine's Day game room robbery."