Armed robbery at Virginia 7-Eleven leads to guilty plea from Richmond man

A Richmond man pleaded guilty Thursday for an armed robbery that occurred after his debit card was declined for insufficient funds.

Darryl Nathaniel Cole, 59, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison.

According to court documents, on July 3, 2023, Cole entered a 7-Eleven on Mechanicsville Turnpike and attempted to purchase tobacco products.

When another customer entered the store, Cole briefly left and returned minutes later.

Attempting the purchase again, Cole swiped his own debit card in the point-of-sale machine, but his account had insufficient funds for the transaction.

Cole then allegedly produced a handgun from his waistband and pointed the gun at the store clerk.

Cole demanded and took money from the register as he continued to point the handgun at the clerk, according to court records.

As Cole began to leave the store, the clerk moved toward the back of the store away from the front door. When the clerk was near a gap in the counter, Cole fired one shot from his handgun in the clerk’s direction, which struck a nearby coffeemaker, police said.

Cole then allegedly fled from the store with the stolen money.