Woman Indicted For Allegedly Buying Rifle Used In Robbery

WILLOUGHBY, OH — A Cleveland woman is accused of buying a rifle that was later used in the attempted robbery of the Willoughby Eastlake Schools Credit Union.

Marshyia Ligon, 20, has been indicted on one count of making a false statement in the acquisition of a firearm.

The Department of Justice said that Ligon lied when she bought a Smith & Wesson M&P 15, 556 caliber rifle from Sherwin Shooting Sports in Eastlake. She allegedly said she was the buyer of the rifle, when she was actually buying the gun for someone else.

The rifle was found a week after Ligon purchased it. It was found at the Willoughby Eastlake Schools Credit Union, where it was used in an attempt to rob the business, the Department of Justice said.

The FBI said the attempted robbery of the credit union, on Oct. 11, 2017, happened like this: Just before 10 a.m., an off-duty uniformed Willoughby Police Officer was working security at the credit union. The off-duty officer called police and reported that two men wearing hoodies had entered the bank and had attempted to rob the credit union.

When the suspects saw the uniformed officer, they dropped their loaded Smith and Wesson MP-15 assault rifles at the entrance and ran. Police units converged on the bank and arrested two suspects immediately, the FBI said in November 2017.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Willoughby Police Department. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Crime Strategies Unit assisted with the investigation.

Photo from Shutterstock