Man Gets 25 Years for Armed Pharmacy Robbery in Pasadena, Other SoCal Cities

A Hawthorne man who robbed a Pasadena pharmacy at gunpoint as part of a crime spree targeting multiple Southern California chain stores was sentenced Monday to 25 years in federal prison.

Makai Sanders, 23, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery — robbery affecting interstate commerce — and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The judge also ordered Sanders to pay $48,490 in restitution to the pharmacy chains victimized in the 12 robberies, which included stores in Pasadena, Long Beach, Bellflower, South Los Angeles, Whittier, Lakewood, Monterey Park, Burbank and Glendale.

Prosecutors said Sanders and co-defendant Kenyatta Jones, 23, targeted Rite Aid and Walgreens locations between August and September 2023, typically entering the stores about an hour before closing time.

The armed duo would steal employees’ and customers’ cell phones before forcing staff to lead them to store safes where they took cash, according to court documents.

During one Walgreens robbery, Sanders and Jones held a customer at gunpoint while attempting to make a purchase and stole the victim’s iPhone. A store employee had a handgun pressed to her back and was forced toward the safe, with the barrel used to push her along more quickly, prosecutors said.

The employee managed to lock herself in a staffing office and call 911 after noticing one of the robbers was distracted.

Law enforcement tracked the defendants using phone records and GPS data, arresting Sanders, Jones and a third person on Sept. 26, 2023. Officers found handguns consistent with those used in the robberies and clothing matching what the thieves wore during the crimes.

Jones, who pleaded guilty to the same charges as Sanders, received a 25-year prison sentence last week in Los Angeles federal court.