Documents: Asheville jewelry heist tied to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Receipts found in the van used to flee police in a brazen smash-and-grab robbery earlier this month indicated the suspects might have been in the Charlotte area earlier in the day. Investigators are also working to determine if the group is connected to a violent, Detroit-based gang with close ties to the Bloods.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Asheville charged Maurice Pearce Jr., Malik McCrary, Devontae Perry, Darius Moten and Lonnie Moton. Investigators alleged they robbed a Jared's jewelry location in Asheville on Nov. 8.

Asheville police said the group got away with $500,000, and there was a brief chase afterward.

The minivan used in the chase had receipts inside, including at least one from Charlotte earlier in the day, according to the documents.

Investigators said Pearce told them that a man named Juice was involved in the Nov. 8 heist, and that man was a member of the Redwings gang out of Detroit.

The FBI said the Redwings are a violent gang closely tied to the notorious Bloods.

Authorities with the FBI's Detroit Field Office are currently investigating at least 50 smash and grabs tied to the Redwings, according to the affidavit.

Some of the crimes have occurred in North Carolina. The crimes are similar, according to court records.

In December 2014, a jewelry store was burglarized in a similar style of smash and grab.

The affidavits filed this month do not mention that case. However, an FBI Detroit news release used photos of the Raleigh smash-and-grab burglary when announcing the indictment of 30 defendants in the Detroit area earlier this year on charges connected to smash and grabs.

The FBI told Eyewitness News that the investigation is ongoing.