NEW YORK — Optimism was in short supply Wednesday for two ex-cons busted in a three-borough, two-hour armed crime spree — despite one suspect’s bold prediction of a short stay behind bars.
Suspects Alvin Velez, 34, and Carlos Perez, 24, remained in custody pending a Manhattan Federal Court appearance after robbing 13 people at gunpoint during the wild rampage inside a stolen minivan, with the younger suspect boasting after his arrest that he would be released on bail within 24 hours.
The two reputed drug dealers faced federal Hobbs Act charges for robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and a gun charge, according to court documents. Perez was also a member of the 280 Gang, a subset of the Crips, police said, and both suspects were free despite multiple arrests while on parole.
