Suspected getaway driver tied to LA, OC robberies takes a plea deal

A San Fernando Valley woman pleaded guilty Thursday, Jan. 8, to federal charges following allegations of her being the getaway driver in at least some robberies of smoke shops, doughnut shops and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties two years ago.

Abigail Luckey, 50, of North Hollywood entered a plea to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, which criminalizes robbery or extortion affecting interstate commerce.

Sentencing was scheduled for April 16.

Co-defendant Antonio Bland, 36, of North Hollywood previously pleaded guilty to his role in the case and is set for sentencing. A third defendant, Ronnie Tucker, 23, of Long Beach, is awaiting trial.

Prosecutors said a dozen businesses were targeted in January and February of 2024: a smoke shop in Tustin, nine 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood, Burbank, Torrance, Van Nuys, Long Beach and Glendale, Pasadena; and doughnut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.

On Feb. 6, 2024, in the midst of the 12 robberies, Luckey and Bland drove to Las Vegas and were married before returning to Southern California for their next heist two days later, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The robberies typically occurred late at night and usually involved two men who entered each business wearing hooded sweatshirts and face masks, according to federal prosecutors. In several of the crimes, Luckey waited outside in a four-door sedan for her partners to rob and flee, prosecutors said.

The crime spree ended after Luckey, Bland and Tucker committed an attempted robbery of a doughnut shop in Downey during the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day 2024, court records show.

Once the subjects entered the shop, one yelled, “Open the cash register!”

An employee noticed that a suspect believed to be Bland had what appeared to be a handgun tucked into his front waistband with the handle visible, prosecutors said. The employee ran toward the rear kitchen area from behind the main sales counter, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The suspected robbers jumped the counter in pursuit of him, and the employee retrieved his firearm, prosecutors said. To deter the suspects from attacking him, he fired at least one shot, hitting a wall of the building, court records show.

After the employee fired, the would-be robbers ran out of the store, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement personnel said they witnessed the attempted robbery and, shortly afterward, pulled over a car containing Luckey, Bland and Tucker, and later found a firearm in the vehicle.