Stephen D. Bagley, Gunpoint Carjacking, MO 2024

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Stephen D. Bagley, 26, of Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty today to a violent carjacking that sparked a high-speed crash, multiple injuries, and the death of a dog left trapped inside the stolen vehicle. Bagley admitted in federal court to snatching a 2008 Nissan Altima at gunpoint, then fleeing into traffic on Interstate 35 in the early hours of June 22, 2014.

Bagley, appearing before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs, entered guilty pleas to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. At the time of the crime, the vehicle’s owner stood outside the car near Express Mart at 3786 Broadway, talking to friends just after 2:30 a.m. A friend sat in the passenger seat when Bagley yanked the door handle. After being warned, “this ain’t your car,” Bagley pulled a Glock .40-caliber pistol from his waistband, pointed it at the woman, and ordered her out.

The owner’s dog, Mister, remained inside as Bagley reversed out of the parking spot and sped off. The victims jumped into another car and tried to track the Altima, last seen barreling north on Interstate 35. Minutes later, police responded to a pileup near West Pennway—multiple vehicles totaled, several injured. Bagley had vanished from the scene. Mister was found dead inside the wrecked Nissan.

Surveillance footage from Express Mart sealed Bagley’s fate. His own U.S. probation officer—tasked with supervising him since his April 2014 prison release—identified him as the gunman. Then, in August 2014, an ATF agent interviewed a woman involved in a domestic incident where Bagley fired six rounds from a .40-caliber pistol. Shell casings matched those found inside the Altima. Photo IDs from the video confirmed the connection.

U.S. Marshals had already arrested Bagley on July 29, 2014, for violating supervised release in a Kansas case. During a search of his residence, they seized the Glock .40-caliber pistol, an extended magazine, and live rounds. Ballistics testing confirmed the gun fired the casing recovered from the carjacking scene—and also matched casings from the domestic shooting.

Bagley now faces up to 15 years in federal prison for carjacking, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least seven years—up to life—without parole for brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. The sentencing, pending a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation, will be determined by the court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen is prosecuting the case, investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.