A jury found Xavier Belcher guilty of armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, obstruction of an officer, and criminal trespass. Belcher appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, and asserting as error the trial court’s ruling on his Batson challenge and the court’s denial of the motion to suppress his statement to police. We find no error and affirm. Construed in favor of the verdict, the evidence showed that a man approached the victim in a parking lot at about 6:00 a.m. The victim had just retrieved an item from his truck parked outside his place of employment. The man asked the victim if he had the time and if he had any “smokes.” After a short conversation, the man pulled out a semi-automatic black and satin gun and demanded the victim’s wallet. The victim told him that his wallet was inside his truck. The man walked the victim to his truck and asked him to retrieve the wallet. After looking inside the wallet, the man asked the victim to place it in the back of the truck, and then demanded the victim’s cell phone. When the victim told him the cell phone was inside his office, the man walked the victim into the office at gunpoint, took the victim’s cell phone, and fled in the victim’s truck. The victim testified that his truck was red with a camper shell on the back, and that in the bed of the truck was a red pressure washer, orange lawnmower, and other items. He stated that he also had a pair of Panama Jack sunglasses inside the truck. The victim could not identify his assailant, but gave officers a physical description and stated that he wore a red shirt, red pants, and a red bandana on his head.
Belcher’s female friend testified that Belcher picked her up that morning as she walked along the roadside. She stated that he was driving a red truck with a camper shell on the back. Belcher took her to her friend’s home and later told her that he needed some help moving some items from the side of the road. The female friend helped Belcher move an orange lawnmower and a red pressure washer from the side of the road to her friend’s home.
