Man Admits St. Louis Carjacking Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri Byline: Robert Patrick Dateline: St. Louis, Missouri Date: 5 August 2024 Subjects: American Government , Crime Topic: Chevrolet Cruze

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Monday admitted carjacking and robbing two people in St. Louis, Missouri 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” 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 machinegun. McKinney admitted owning the fully automatic Glock, knowing that he was a convicted felon and prohibited from doing so. 

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

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the East St. Louis Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Robert Patrick, Public Affairs Officer, robert.patrick@usdoj.gov.

Updated August 5, 2024