INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A brazen six-week spree of armed robberies culminated in a 25-year federal prison sentence for Devonte Bailey, 24, of Indianapolis. Bailey repeatedly victimized local businesses and even carjacked a vehicle, terrorizing the city with a silver revolver and a 9mm handgun before finally being cornered by police.
The crime wave began October 6, 2018, with a carjacking. Bailey approached four men at a residential garage, feigned asking for directions, and then returned minutes later brandishing a semiautomatic pistol, stealing their vehicle and phones. The next day, Bailey led police on a high-speed chase in the stolen car, abandoning it after crashing and fleeing on foot. A search of the vehicle revealed a 9mm handgun.
Bailey’s robbery targets quickly shifted to local businesses. On November 1, 2018, he attempted to rob a Dollar Tree on High School Road, flashing the silver revolver but fleeing empty-handed when the cashier ran. Later that same day, he successfully robbed a Circle K on Lafayette Road, making off with Doritos, money, and cigarettes. He returned to the same Circle K just days later, on November 7th, stealing money and more cigarettes. It wasn’t enough. Bailey went back again on November 22nd.
The third robbery at the Circle K on Lafayette Road was particularly chaotic. Finding no employees inside, Bailey accosted a customer and employee outside, demanding money and stealing the customer’s car keys. A pursuit ensued, with the customer attempting to block Bailey’s escape. Bailey nearly ran the customer over before crashing the vehicle into a tree and fleeing into a storage area, where police apprehended him. A discarded backpack contained the silver 9mm revolver used in multiple robberies.
Bailey didn’t stop there. On November 16, 2018, he targeted a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell on Georgetown Road, brandishing the weapon and forcing an employee to open the safe. He made off with an undisclosed amount of money. Following his arrest, Bailey confessed to all robberies in interviews with both Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers and federal agents, admitting to using a 9mm handgun in the initial carjacking.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana secured Bailey’s conviction on charges of robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Bailey’s prior conviction for battery with a deadly weapon in Marion County, Indiana, prohibited him from legally possessing firearms. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers announced that Bailey will spend the next 25 years in federal prison for his violent crimes.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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