Evergreen Reporter

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri, on Monday admitted to carjacking and robbing two people in St. Louis in 2023.

Bradley C. McKinney, 35, pleaded guilty to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a machine gun. McKinney admitted as part of his plea agreement that shortly after midnight on July 29, 2023, he and an accomplice were both armed with handguns when they approached two people who had just exited a 2015 Chevy Cruze near the intersection of 16th Street and Lucas Avenue. The robbers rummaged through the victims’ pockets and took the keys to the Cruze and other valuables. McKinney’s associates pulled up in a white GMC Terrain and McKinney got into the Cruze with another accomplice. Both vehicles then sped off.

After the victims called police, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) found footage of the vehicles crossing into Illinois. Investigators identified the GMC Terrain and put out a “wanted” alert for both vehicles. Later that morning, the Cruze was found abandoned in East St. Louis with the key still in the ignition.

About 25 hours after the carjacking, the RTCC received a license plate recognition hit for the GMC Terrain, and officers used a spike strip to deflate several tires. McKinney was the driver and sole occupant. In plain view beneath the driver seat, officers noticed a black Glock 17 handgun with an extended magazine and an auto-sear or “switch,” installed, making it a machine gun. McKinney admitted owning the fully automatic Glock while knowing he was a convicted felon prohibited from doing so.

McKinney is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6. Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 19 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and East St. Louis Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting it.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence while making neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, PSN launched a violent crime reduction strategy based on fostering trust within communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence before it occurs, setting focused enforcement priorities strategically, and measuring results.

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