Forsyth County Man Sentenced to More Than 24 Years After Kidnapping Store Clerk in the Course of a Robbery

GREENSBORO - A Winston-Salem, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Greensboro to more than 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).

DEANGELO SHAMOND TOOMER, aged 41, was sentenced to 293 months imprisonment plus 5 years post release supervision on the kidnapping charge by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Senior/Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. Judge Eagles also sentenced TOOMER to 180 months imprisonment plus 3 years post release supervision on the firearm charge, to run concurrently.

According to court records, on January 8, 2025, at approximately 12:28 a.m., TOOMER entered the Speedway Gas Station located at 2700 University Parkway in Winston-Salem, armed with a gun. TOOMER approached the store clerk at gunpoint and demanded money from her cash register and Newport cigarettes. TOOMER then forced the clerk to write a sign to hang on the front door stating the store was closed for restocking and then led her at gunpoint to her car where he told her they were both leaving and she was driving. Law enforcement was alerted to the scene after receiving a 911 call for a wellness check when customers noticed the gas station was unattended.

Officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department were able to obtain real time tracking data from the clerk's vehicle. At approximately 5:57 a.m., members of the Winston-Salem Police Department observed the clerk's vehicle to be in Unicoi County, Tennessee. With the assistance of the Unicoi County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement located the vehicle. Deputies with the Unicoi County Sheriff's Office activated their lights and sirens to pull the vehicle over, but TOOMER, who was driving, fled, resulting in a vehicle pursuit. Deputies with the Unicoi County Sheriff's Office had to forcibly bring the vehicle to a stop. The clerk was found with her hands and ankles bound by shoelaces in the backseat. A gun that TOOMER tossed out the window during his flight was also recovered. The gun was loaded and had one round in the chamber.

TOOMER, who is originally from Charleston, South Carolina, has a criminal record that dates back to 2001, and includes several felony convictions, including Felony Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill, Felony Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature, Felony Strong Arm Robbery, Felony Burglary, Felony Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Felony Fraud against a Financial Institution, and Felony Possession of Contraband.