U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced Bradley C. McKinney to 19 years in prison for carjacking and robbery incidents that occurred in St. Louis. The sentencing took place on Tuesday.
The events unfolded shortly after midnight on July 29, 2023, when McKinney and an accomplice, both armed with handguns, approached two individuals near the intersection of 16th Street and Lucas Avenue. The victims had just exited a 2015 Chevy Cruze when they were robbed of their belongings, including the car keys. McKinney then drove off in the Cruze with another accomplice while associates followed in a white GMC Terrain.
Following the incident, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) tracked both vehicles crossing into Illinois and issued alerts for them. The Cruze was later found abandoned in East St. Louis with its key still in the ignition.
On the following day, RTCC received a license plate recognition alert for the GMC Terrain, leading officers to use a spike strip to stop it by deflating several tires. McKinney was found as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. Inside, officers discovered a black Glock handgun equipped with an extended magazine and an auto-sear device that converted it into a machine gun. McKinney admitted ownership of the firearm despite being aware of his status as a convicted felon prohibited from possessing weapons.
McKinney pleaded guilty in August to charges including carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a machine gun.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and East St. Louis Police Department contributed efforts towards resolving this case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Assistant U.S Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted this case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods is aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities they serve by fostering trust and setting strategic enforcement priorities.
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