Over the last 10 days, our department has investigated two separate cases where cannabis delivery drivers have been robbed while attempting to make cannabis deliveries. The first case occurred on August 19, 2023, at approximately 9:40 PM. In this case, a cannabis delivery driver was attempting to make a delivery to an apartment in the area of West Utica/Ryan. The delivery driver knocked on the apartment door, which there was no answer. As the delivery driver was walking back to his vehicle, a male approached him, punched him in the head, and stole the bag of cannabis he was intending to deliver. The suspect then ran off with the stolen cannabis.

The second robbery occurred on August 26, 2023, at approximately 9:40 PM. In this case, a cannabis delivery driver was attempting to make a delivery to someone in the same apartment complex as where the first robbery occurred. As the female delivery driver was in the parking lot, a male approached her and robbed her of the cannabis she was intending to deliver. The suspect once again ran off with the stolen cannabis.

The Shelby Township Detective Bureau and Special Investigations Unit investigated both of these robberies over the next several days. Several search warrants and interviews were conducted, leading to the identification of a suspect. The Shelby Township Police Tactical Response Unit executed a search warrant on the suspects residence, at which point evidence was recovered and the suspect was taken into custody.

The suspect, identified as Zabion Omariez Parnell, is a 20-year-old resident of Shelby Township, Michigan. On August 29, 2023, Parnell was arraigned on the following:

– Robbery-unarmed (2 charges)

***Bond was set at $25,000 Cash/Surety for each charge***

“The teamwork displayed by our initial responding patrol units, Detective Bureau, Special Investigations Unit, and our Tactical Response Unit led to the quick identification and arrest of the suspect in both of these cases.” – Robert Shelide, Shelby Township Police Chief.