CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that a Cuyahoga County grand jury has returned an indictment charging Charles Fritz, 29, for committing 16 aggravated robberies in 12 different locations in Cleveland.

“Charles Fritz terrorized Cleveland neighborhoods with 16 aggravated robberies of commercial businesses over a five-month long crime spree. His violent crime wave is over, and he will be looking at decades in prison for his actions.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

From March to July 2023, Charles Fritz committed 16 robberies throughout the city of Cleveland. He committed seven of the robberies with David Santiago Jr., who was 17 at the time of the incidents and is now 19. The robberies had a common scheme where Fritz would pretend to be a customer or scout the location before robbing the employees at gunpoint and fleeing the scene with the stolen cash. Fritz also made sure to rob the places late at night or early in the morning when there would be fewer customers present. During the two robberies at Subway, Fritz forced the employees at gunpoint into a freezer, demand they wait for approximately 20 minutes, and to not call the police.

During the robbery at Thomas G. Smith Funeral Home, Fritz knocked on the door and asked the employee about funeral arrangements for his grandmother. Fritz then pointed a gun at the employee and demanded money from the safe. When the victim stated there was no safe, Fritz demanded the employee’s jewelry which included his wedding band.

The 16 robberies were committed at the following Cleveland locations:

  • 3/16/23 around 11:53 p.m. – Sunoco Gas station near Storer Avenue and West 63rd Street
  • 4/5/23 around 7:58 p.m. – LakeShore Food Mart near Macauley Avenue and East 152nd Street
  • 4/17/23 around 9:20 p.m. – AJ’s near St. Clair Avenue and East 103rd Street
  • 5/2/23 around 10:35 a.m. – Subway near East 152nd Street and St. Clair Avenue
  • 6/8/23 around 9:48 p.m. – Subway near East 152nd Street and St. Clair Avenue
  • 6/12/23 around 10:45 p.m. – Liberty Gas near Clark Avenue and West 51st Street*
  • 6/12/23 around 10:50 p.m. – Sun Valley Beverage near West 25th Street and Barber Avenue*
  • 6/30/23 around 11:35 p.m. – LakeShore Food Mart near Macauley Avenue and East 152nd Street*
  • 7/1/23 around 5:35 a.m. – Shell Gas Station near St. Clair Avenue and East 110th Street
  • 7/1/23 around 8:15 a.m. – Thomas G. Smith Funeral Home near St. Clair Avenue and East 146th Street
  • 7/9/23 around 4:11 a.m. – Shell Gas Station near St. Clair Avenue and East 110th Street
  • 7/14/23 around 11:00 p.m. – Marathon Gas Station near Ridge Road and Plainfield Avenue*
  • 7/15/23 around 12:16 a.m. – Valero Gast Station near Memphis Avenue and West 50th Street*
  • 7/15/23 around 2:58 a.m. – Gas USA near Euclid Avenue and East 123rd Street*
  • 7/17/23 around 10:52 p.m. – C-Food Mart near Denison Avenue and West 38th Street*
  • 7/24/23 around 11:00 p.m. – Marathon Gas Station near Ridge Road and Plainfield Avenue

*David Santiago Jr. assisted Fritz with robberies at these locations

 

The investigation was conducted by the Cleveland Division of Police’s Second District, the Cleveland Division of Police’s Fifth District, and the Cleveland Office of the FBI. Fritz was arrested by Parma Police Department on April 24, 2025.

On June 12, 2025, Charles Fritz was indicted on 133 charges including:

  • Aggravated Robbery
  • Robbery
  • Kidnapping
  • Improperly Handling Firearms In A Motor Vehicle
  • Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle
  • Grand Theft When the Property is a Firearm or Dangerous Ordnance
  • Tampering With Evidence
  • Theft

He will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.

On May 28, 2025, David Santiago Jr. pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • Eight counts of Aggravated Robbery
  • One count of Grand Theft

On May 30, 2025, he was sentenced to 10.5 to 12 years in prison.