Grand Jury Indicts Gang Members who Robbed Cranston Teen at Gunpoint

Two Providence men and reputed gangsters who allegedly robbed a 19-year-old riding a bicycle in Cranston last September were indicted by the Providence County Grand Jury today on a slew of felonies.

Kenneth Lovett, 31, of 112 Eastwood Ave., Providence; and Joseph Figueroa, 38, of 184 Ocean Street, also of Providence, each were charged with on two counts of conspiracy, three counts of first degree robbery, three counts of possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence and one count of possessing a firearm without a license.

Additionally, Lovett was charged with one count of possession of a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence.

Lovett and Figueroa were arrested in connection with the Sept. 27 incident in Cranston during which the teenage male was approached by a pistol-carrying man, identified as Lovett, wearing dark clothing and a ski mask. Lovett then pulled the victim off his bike, punched him in the head and back, according to reports, and stole all of his personal property, including a backpack and cell phone.

Once police got the call, Sgt. David Jubinville responded and saw a green Toyota speeding on Cranston Street. The vehicle, which was driven by Figueroa, gave chase.

As Jubinville followed, the Toyota slowed on Priscilla Avenue where Lovett got out and fled. Jubinville notified backup and kept following the Toyota, which eventually stopped on Dora Street in Providence where Figueora was taken into custody without incident.

Back on Priscilla Avenue, police found a small black fully loaded Smith and Wesson handgun.

Thanks to a “lengthy and joint investigation” by Cranston Police detectives, Providence Police, and the Adult Correctional Institute’s Special Investigations Unit, police soon identified the fleeing suspect who dropped the gun as Lovett.

Lovett, a Bloods member, has a lengthy criminal career with convictions for robbery, weapons possession and delivery of narcotics in Rhode Island and New Jersey, police said.

Armed with a warrant, police took Lovett into custody at his house on Eastwood Avenue with help from the Providence Police Department Robbery and Violent Crime Task Force.

Along with the Cranston incident, court records show both men were allegedly involved in two other robberies in Providence. One was on Sept. 16 and a the second was on Sept. 27 — the same night as the Cranston incident.

Lovett and Figueroa are scheduled to be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court before Justice Robert D. Krause on October 9, 2014.