Man who attempted to rob gay food truck & kill witness got sentenced to 35 years in prison

A man who shot a witness in the face in retaliation for speaking to police after he was caught on video attempting to rob a gay-owned food truck has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Ryan Lewis Little, 40, pleaded guilty to robbery, firearms possession, and intimidation charges related to the attempted murder of the witness.

Related:

Two gay men murdered, their bodies shoved in suitcases & left on bridge

Police found the bodies on Wednesday night after receiving reports of a man acting suspiciously on a suspension bridge.

In April 2022, Little was caught on camera as he attempted to rob the Big Gay Food Truck parked outside a nightclub in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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Austin Allen, the food truck’s co-owner, was inside when Little walked up the steps pretending to be a customer with a question about food. Once inside, Little shoved Allen aside and pulled out a silver handgun, asking, “Where is the money?”  

“My adrenaline spiked for sure,” the owner told Fox News 8. “And my thought process was, ‘What can I do to get him out of here quickly as possible?’”

Allen said once Little realized there was no money in the truck, he fled.

Four days later, police said, Little tracked down a witness who spoke with police about the attempted robbery and shot him in the face.

Little’s crime spree continued in New York, where police were called to the scene of a robbery at a restaurant a week later.

An employee told investigators Little entered the establishment and pulled out a silver firearm concealed in a newspaper, taking $1,500 from the register. The staff member followed Little to a nearby park, where police found the assailant hiding in the bushes.

Little attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended by cops. A canvass of the area turned up Little’s loaded silver pistol. After he was taken into custody, another witness reported Little attempted to carjack him.

In multiple court appearances earlier this year, Little pleaded guilty to charges of interference with commerce by robbery and retaliating against a witness by attempted murder related to the food truck robbery. Later he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of interference with commerce by robbery and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime for his actions in New York.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced in a Greensboro courtroom to 35 years in prison for the interstate crime spree.

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