Antoine Matthews pleaded guilty on Friday to trying to rob five UB students in November.
Matthews pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted robbery in the second degree. He was released from Attica Prison in November and two weeks later attempted to rob five students in the Heights in two separate incidents, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
Matthews was in prison from 2007 to 2012 for burglary and attempted assault.
On Nov. 17, Matthews displayed what appeared to be a silver revolver to three students on Winspear Avenue and demanded money. After they gave him their money, Matthews fled the scene. The students ran to South Campus and called University Police (UPD). UPD Officers Eric Radder, Scott McMillan and Theodore Kopacz gathered enough information from the three witnesses to canvass the area and locate Matthews, said UPD Chief Gerald Schoenle.
Matthews tossed the gun, which turned out to be a silver toy revolver, before the officers approached him near the intersection of Bailey and Shirley Avenues. The officers recovered the toy gun and other property on the suspect that connected him to a different robbery on Winspear about 30 minutes prior, according to Schoenle.
Matthews robbed two female students who identified him in a lineup. He faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years for each robbery and will be sentenced on May 1. He also faces additional time for a parole violation as a result of these crimes, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
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