ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man appeared in federal court on Monday and admitted carjacking and robbing two people in downtown St. Louis last summer.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Bradley McKinney, 35, carjacked a 2015 Chevy Cruze on July 29, 2023. The indictment further alleges McKinney had possession of a machine gun the following day.
McKinney told the court that he and an accomplice brandished handguns when stealing the Cruze, as well as wallets from the driver and passenger and a cellphone. Immediately following the carjacking, McKinney’s friends pulled up in a white GMC Terrain and then both the Terrain and Cruze sped off and drove into Illinois.
The very next day, St. Louis police conducted a traffic stop on the Terrain. McKinney was driving the SUV. Police found a Glock 17 handgun that had been illegally modified with a switch or auto sear device to become fully automatic.
McKinney pleaded guilty to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a machine gun.
McKinney will be sentenced on November 6. Both the prosecution and defense have agreed to a recommended term of 19 years in federal prison.
