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Man Identified By Sneakers In TikTok Video Busted For Robbery Spree In Detroit Area

Investigator recognized the white Nike sneakers Chozen Terrell-Hannah wore in a dance video, the FBI says.

Federal investigators finally caught up with a man they believe was behind a series of armed robberies in Metro Detroit. They cracked the case after spotting him in a TikTok dance video wearing sneakers similar to the one worn by the gunman.

Chozen Terrell-Hannah, 22, confessed to sticking up four stores, The Detroit News reports. The Redford Township, Mich., man, who some witnesses misidentified as a white, admitted to the crimes after FBI agents raided his home on Feb. 23.

Authorities charged him with robbery affecting interstate commerce and possessing a firearm during a violent crime. If convicted, Terrell-Hannah could serve more than 20 years behind bars.

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Investigators accuse the TikTok star, who has more than 151,000 followers and 1.6 million likes, of a three-month crime spree. He allegedly started by holding up a 7-Eleven in December. The thief was described as a man wearing black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, a black ski mask and white shoes, and carrying a black backpack decorated with pink flowers. He pointed a gun at the clerk and grabbed the cash.

In January, he’s accused of robbing a Marathon gas station in Dearborn, Mich., while wearing the same outfit. Terrell-Hannah allegedly pressed a .40 caliber pistol in the clerk’s back and escaped with the money. Later that month, investigators say Terrell-Hannah robbed the same 7-Eleven that hit in December.

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In a fourth robbery, on Feb. 1, the FBI said he wore the same outfit, but they observed pink or red hair under his black ski mask.

A break in the case came from a tip to the Dearborn police led investigators to Terrell-Hannah’s TikTok account, “ChozenWrld”. In a September 2020 post, he’s seen dancing in white Nike sneakers with red accents.

"These shoes are similar in appearance to the shoes worn in the above referenced armed robberies," an FBI investigator documented.

He mostly fit the physical characteristics reported by eyewitnesses. Some victims described him as being taller and a white man. But those discrepancies didn’t throw off the investigators.

"Based on my training and experience, I believe due to (Terrell-Hannah's) light complexion, the victims of armed robberies, observing him under the circumstances and wearing the clothing described above, could describe him as either white or Black," the FBI task force officer wrote.

Investigators said they started surveilling Terrell-Hannah on Feb. 9 before obtaining a search warrant for his phone’s location history, which placed him at the robbery locations at the times of each incident. They raided his home and found pieces of the outfit worn by the robber, including the white Nike sneakers.

"(He) admitted to committing all four of the above-described armed robberies and acknowledged using the black backpack with a floral pattern in all four of the armed robberies," the officer wrote.

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