Michael B. Bishop, Grocery Store Robbery, Virginia 2020

RICHMOND, Va. - A string of grocery store robberies in Virginia came to an end on November 25, 2020, when police apprehended Michael B. Bishop, 48, after a high-speed car chase.

According to court documents, Bishop began his crime spree on November 20, 2020, when he stole a friend's Ford F-150 truck. Over the next four days, he robbed a Whole Foods Market in Glen Allen, a Wegmans in Henrico, a Trader Joe's in Richmond, and a Publix in Midlothian.

At each robbery, Bishop entered the grocery store wearing a face mask. Aside from the Whole Foods Market robbery, Bishop explicitly stated that he had a firearm or appeared to hold his hand in his pocket as if he had a firearm. At the Trader Joe's robbery, Bishop brandished a firearm at the victim cashier.

Bishop's crime spree caught the attention of investigators from Henrico, Richmond, and Chesterfield, who obtained an arrest warrant based on witness interviews and review of surveillance video from Publix and Wegmans.

When law enforcement sought to arrest Bishop, he entered the F-150 and took officers on a nearly 10-minute high-speed pursuit across several highways, including I-95 northbound and I-295 southbound. Bishop was only apprehended after officers used a pitting maneuver to stop the vehicle.

During an authorized search of the F-150, law enforcement recovered clothing items matching those worn by the suspected robber as well as items in the bed of the truck that were notable from exterior surveillance at one of the grocery stores.

Bishop was on probation in Henrico County at the time of the robberies, having previously served time for committing two robberies in 2013.

On March 8, 2023, U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck sentenced Bishop to 11 years in prison.

Defendant: Michael B. Bishop

Criminal Charges: robbery

City and State: Richmond, Virginia

Exact Date: November 20-25, 2020

Sentence or Outcome: 11 years in prison

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/man-sentenced-prison-after-string-grocery-store-robberies