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Deputies arrest two, 15 and 18, in string of Tampa armed robberies

 
Nicholas Gillham, 18, faces multiple charges on top of two counts of violation of probation.
Nicholas Gillham, 18, faces multiple charges on top of two counts of violation of probation.
Published Feb. 15, 2016

TAMPA — A string of armed robberies that began early Sunday morning led Hillsborough sheriff's deputies on an hourslong pursuit that spanned two housing complexes and eventually ended at 4 a.m. with the arrest of one man and a teenager.

Nicholas Gillham, 18, and Jaiohn Mills, 15, each face several counts on multiple charges, including armed robbery, shooting into an occupied dwelling and aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The robberies started around 12:30 a.m., when Vanessa Martinez was "pistol-whipped" in the face by two men, one black and one white, while she walked from her car to her home in the Foxcroft Apartment complex at 3817 Hunt Road, according to the Sheriff's Office. Martinez suffered numerous fractures to the bones in her face, and her purse, cellphone and car keys were stolen, authorities said.

Amid the scuffle, one of the suspects' guns discharged and hit a nearby parked vehicle. The attackers fled.

While sheriff's deputies investigated the first robbery, they heard another round of gunshots from the east side of the same apartment complex, according to a news release. It was just after 2 a.m.

There had been another robbery, this time at 3838 Hunt Road. Jomar Vazquez, 23, had just left his vehicle and was walking toward his friend's apartment when two men, one white and one black, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint, according to the release.

Vazquez was kicked, punched and "deprived of multiple personal belongings," the release said. Then the men approached the apartment of Vazquez's friend, Jordan Martin Rivera, and threatened to kill Vazquez if Rivera didn't open the door, the release said. When Rivera refused, the men fired several shots through the closed door. At least one bullet grazed his right thigh, authorities said.

The two fled again.

While authorities shifted to investigate the second robbery, they heard a third round of gunfire, this time south of the apartment complex, near Whisper Lake Condominiums.

There, Michael Burgess, 44, had just been struck multiple times in the face while exiting his vehicle, authorities said. Two men stole personal items, fired several gunshots in his direction and fled on bicycles, according to the news release.

Deputies set up a perimeter and tracked down the assailants, who were later identified as Gillham and Mills.

Both were arrested. Deputies did not recover the gun used in the robberies.

After he was read his rights, Mills confessed to each robbery, authorities said.

Mills faces multiple charges, including three counts of armed robbery, three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied dwelling and violation of probation, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Gillham faces identical charges, with two additional counts of violation of probation.

Gillham has a lengthy criminal history dating to 2011, which includes arrests for burglary, larceny, aggravated battery and possession of marijuana, according to state records.

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Times researched Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Katie Mettler at kmettler@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3446. Follow @kemettler.