DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Maryland

For Immediate Release

Thursday, March 3, 2016
Rod J. Rosenstein
, United States Attorney
Contact: Vickie E. LeDuc, Public Information Officer

Temple Hills Felon Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for the Armed Robbery of a Bowie Pizza Hut

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Gary Warren Hancock, Jr., age 37, of Temple Hills, Maryland, today to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbery, brandishing a firearm during the robbery and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition. A federal jury convicted Hancock of those charges on May 5, 2015, after a six day trial.

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Chief John Nesky of the Bowie Police Department; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to evidence presented during his trial, on May 2, 2013, Hancock entered the Pizza Hut restaurant at 1290 Crain Highway, in Bowie, Maryland, pointed a handgun at an employee and demanded the employee open the safe. When the employee said he could not open the safe, Hancock demanded money from the cash register. The employee complied. Hancock fled on a motorcycle.

A Bowie City Police Department officer happened to be on patrol just outside the Pizza Hut at the time, and was alerted by witnesses to the robbery. The officer saw Hancock fleeing on the motorcycle and gave chase. After a high speed pursuit, Hancock crashed the motorcycle and was arrested. Law enforcement officers recovered the stolen money and a loaded firearm from Hancock.

Hancock had previously been convicted of numerous felonies, including carjacking, kidnapping and attempted robbery, and was thus prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Bowie and Prince George’s County Police Departments and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Michael T. Packard, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore Field Division