In the spring of 2014, a meticulously planned armored car robbery in Phoenix, Arizona, ended in bloodshed and the death of one of its own conspirators. Lonnie D. Smith, a 34-year-old male, was fatally shot on April 25, 2014, during the very heist he was helping to execute. The violent end to his life unfolded outside a Wells Fargo Bank on East Glendale Avenue, where an armed guard, defending against the robbery, fired the fatal shots.
The plot was orchestrated by Alonzo Ferguson, who had
initiated the plan earlier that year. Ferguson had conducted surveillance on the ATM and the armored car's replenishment procedures. He then assembled a team, including Smith, assigning specific roles and providing the weapons for the intended crime. However, the would-be robbers were met with resistance. An armed guard fought back, and in the ensuing chaos, Smith was struck by gunfire. The remaining members of the group fled the scene, leaving their fallen accomplice behind.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement began a search for a second suspect seen fleeing the area. The FBI and Phoenix Police Department sought the public's help in identifying a person of interest, described as a Black male in his 20s, who was seen with Smith on video surveillance prior to the robbery. Investigators also released an image of a black sedan, possibly an older model Lincoln Town Car or Mercedes, seen near the bank minutes before the attempted heist, hoping to identify its driver.
The investigation continued for several years, and in 2017, a significant breakthrough led to the arrest of Ferguson and four other individuals in connection with the deadly robbery. Co-defendants identified Ferguson as the ringleader who had called the shots. In December 2019, Alonzo Ferguson was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Lonnie Smith, along with conspiracy to commit armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. His sentencing was scheduled for January 2020, bringing a measure of legal closure to a violent crime that claimed the life of one of its perpetrators.
