Two men are in custody for their role in the robbery of a convenience store overnight. Champaign Police were dispatched at midnight on April 23, 2024, to a business in the 1200 block of N. Mattis Avenue for a report of an Armed Robbery. On-scene, officers quickly learned that two men had robbed the business at gunpoint before fleeing the area on foot. During the robbery, one man held the clerks at gunpoint while the second served as a lookout. No one was injured in this incident, but the men took an unknown amount of cash.
Officers immediately initiated a K9 track and canvass of the area for witnesses and video evidence that could lead to the two suspects. Champaign Police located the men leaving a home in the 1400 block of Holly Hill Drive at 12:49 a.m. and conducted a traffic stop to detain them. Investigators with Champaign Police then authored a search warrant for the house on Holly Hill Drive. The search warrant was served at 7:11 a.m. with assistance from the Champaign Police Department SWAT Team. While searching the home, investigators located evidence related to the robbery scene on Mattis. As a result of the investigation, Champaign Police arrested 19-year-old Randy C. Copeland of Chicago and Travon Gibson, 19, of Hammond, Indiana, on initial charges including Armed Robbery and Unlawful Use of Weapons.
Officers continue to canvass the surrounding area for witnesses and video footage that may be of investigative assistance. Any resident or business in the nearby area with exterior surveillance camera systems is encouraged to notify the police department. Even though arrests have been made, the investigation remains ongoing. Future updates may be provided as they become available.
Champaign Police ask that anyone who has additional information please call 217-351-4545. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
Citizens are reminded that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.