Knife-wielding teens behind bars

Police say they were teenagers gone bad who would allegedly pull a knife and rob kids waiting for the local ALEX bus. In at least one robbery, a suspect has been accused of holding a knife to a young victim's throat.

And for all their work, the three usually ended up with little more than pocket change and a cell phone.

While no one was hurt in the string of robberies that began last month, the potential for a tragedy was clear.

Now the three teens, all from Ahwatukee Foothills, are sitting behind bars, booked on four counts of armed robbery.

According to Phoenix police, in custody are Devin Eubanks, 16, Matthew Roggin, 17, and Ian Crawford, 16. Crawford attends Desert Vista High School and the other two attend Compadre, an alternative high school operated by the Tempe Union High School District.

According to Sgt. Tommy Thompson, a spokesman for the department, the three were located after officers assigned to the Neighborhood Enforcement Team began focusing on the string of robberies. By questioning victims and following up on leads, the officers identified and then arrested the three on Nov. 7.

The NET squad is the same group of officers that found and arrested Henry Diaz Jr., accused of robbing a string of Ahwatukee Foothills and Tempe businesses using a sawed-off shotgun. He faces three counts of armed robbery, two counts of attempted armed robbery and two counts of kidnapping.

For more information, see the Nov. 21 issue of the Ahwatukee Foothills News or visit www.ahwatukee.com.