A Gallatin man has been convicted of multiple armed robbery and firearms offenses stemming from a three-week crime spree in 2019, according to the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Lazavion Kern was convicted in U.S. District Court in Nashville, TN of four counts of Hobbs Act robbery. He faces a mandatory sentence of 14 years to life in federal prison. He was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in West Memphis, AR in January 2020. https://t.co/OIxBzErVP8
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) December 21, 2023
In December 2019, Lazavion Kern, 22, robbed four convenience stores in Gallatin and Portland, where he took thousands of dollars from the clerks, according to information cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
During the last of the four robberies, Kern (pictured above) seriously injured the clerk by repeatedly pistol-whipping him.
U.S. Marshals apprehended Kern while he was at a relative’s home in West Memphis, Arkansas, in January 2020.
A federal grand jury charged him in January of 2023 with one count of Hobbs Act robbery for each of the four robberies and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. A federal jury convicted him on each count, and he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Kern was aided in each robbery by Antonio Jones and, in the third robbery, by Michael Sanchez Fitts, who have both since pleaded guilty to felonies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office notes.
“This defendant went on a three-week crime spree, violently attacked an innocent store clerk, and bragged about his actions on social media,” United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis said in a statement after Kern was convicted. “The jury’s verdict ensures that he will be held accountable for those actions and that he will be removed from society for at least 14 years. I commend the excellent work of the trial team, the FBI, and our local law enforcement partners that made this outcome possible.”
Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office added, “This conviction should send a clear message that the FBI and our law enforcement partners make it a priority to bring to justice those who resort to armed robbery for ill-gotten financial gains. Violent crimes will not be tolerated, and law enforcement will not rest, until offenders are caught, prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
