Because his office acted as Special Prosecutor in this Norfolk case, Harvey L. Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, announced today that Jordan Ceprece Anderson, 20 years old, previously residing in the 5400 block of Stonehaven Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sentenced today by Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Karen J. Burrell to 28 years in the Virginia Department of Corrections on convictions of one count each Conspiracy, Attempted Robbery, Use of a Firearm and Wearing a Mask in Public. The Court suspended 18 years of the sentence conditioned upon indefinite supervised probation, 10 years good behavior and no contact with the co-defendants.
The Commonwealth’s evidence proved that on April 23, 2012, officers with the Norfolk Police Department Vice and Narcotics Division were sitting in the driver’s seats of separate unmarked city cars in the McDonald’s parking lot at the intersection of Indian River and Campostella Roads in Norfolk. The officers saw a suspicious car with several occupants slowly circle through the lot. Shortly thereafter the defendant walked up from behind to the passenger side of one of the unmarked vehicles while a co-defendant, Devonte Davis, walked up from behind to the driver’s side of the other unmarked vehicle. Anderson tapped on the passenger window of the car with a gun, pointed the gun at the officer, and demanded that he surrender his property. The officer pulled his service weapon and shot through the window several times at the defendant. The other officer jumped out of his car and saw Davis standing near him. Davis pointed a gun at the officer and said, “Give it up.” The officer pointed his gun at Davis, who then cursed and fled. The defendant also fled. As the two men ran, one of the men looked backwards and lifted his arm with the gun. An officer fired his gun twice.
Other officers detained three of the suspects in a nearby getaway car. The defendant was apprehended several hours later when he went to a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm. Police recovered a loaded pistol and a bandana in the vicinity where Davis had fled. Police also found an inoperable .32 pistol that had been discarded by the defendant.
After he was released from the hospital, the defendant confessed to police. The men had decided to rob the two victims when they had driven through the McDonald’s parking lot and had seen the officers’ parked cars. The defendants had thought that the plainclothes officers were private citizens who conducting or attempting to conduct a drug transaction.
The defendant was on probation for a 2011 Robbery conviction at the time of these offenses.
Senior Commonwealth’s Attorney S. Catherine Dodson prosecuted the case. Please call Macie Pridgen if additional information is desired.