Marvin Smith, Bank Robbery, Indiana 2022

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – On April 5, 2022, Marvin Smith, 37, of Indianapolis, attempted to rob the Fifth Third bank on East Southport Road in Indianapolis. The brazen daylight robbery caught the attention of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), who quickly sprang into action to apprehend the suspect.

According to court documents, on April 2, 2022, Smith entered a CVS on East Washington Street in Indianapolis, handing a pharmacy employee a note demanding 30mg of Oxycodone. The CVS employee entered a code into the lock safe, telling Smith it would take a predetermined amount of time before the safe would open. Smith left without obtaining the medication. The same day, Smith entered a Walgreens on East Eppler Avenue, demanding 30mg of Oxycodone and leaving without it.

On the same day, Smith entered a PNC bank on South East Street, handing a teller a plastic grocery-style bag and demanding money. The teller complied, handing Smith $529.00. An IMPD officer spotted the black sedan with damage to the front driver’s side fender and a license plate matching the one seen leaving Walgreens at a hotel on the west side of Indianapolis.

On April 5, 2022, Smith parked near the Fifth Third bank, walked across an adjoining park lot, and entered the bank. Smith threw a robbery note over the counter, demanding $10,000.00, and handed the teller a plastic bag. The teller placed the bag with the cash on the counter, and Smith grabbed it, exiting the bank and fleeing in his vehicle. IMPD SWAT initiated a felony car stop, disabling Smith’s vehicle. Smith fled on foot before giving up and lying face down on the ground.

During Smith’s arrest, an officer observed that his cell phone was connected to the car’s stereo and IMPD’s dispatch radio traffic was playing through a scanner app over the car’s speakers. Smith was transported to IMPD for an interview, where he admitted to robbing the Fifth Third bank. Smith was previously arrested and prosecuted in federal court for two counts of pharmacy robbery in 2016 and was under federal supervised release at the time of the new offenses.

On [April 5, 2022], U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon sentenced Marvin Smith to 115 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted interference with commerce by robbery and two counts of bank robbery. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Smith be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office.

Smith’s crimes demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and a willingness to engage in violent behavior to achieve his goals. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s swift action to apprehend Smith is a testament to their dedication to keeping the community safe.

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