Indy men sentenced to combined 17 years for 2022 armed robbery of gas station
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two Indianapolis men were sentenced to a combined 17 years in federal prison for robbing a gas station in 2022 at gunpoint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana said on Tuesday.
Bryan Johnson-Taylor, 23, and John Wilson, 19, pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Taylor was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison with Wilson sentenced to eight years.
Both will serve three years of probation following their release, a news release said.
According to court documents, the duo robbed a Circle K gas station on East Southport Road in Indianapolis on Aug. 1 at 3:06 p.m. The pair threatened a cashier at the gas station with semi-automatic handguns, demanding money from the register.
Both men stole cash from the register, the cashier’s cell phone, and cigarettes from the shelf.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers tracked the robbers’ location using electronic surveillance. According to a release, Beech Grove officers locate the suspects one-half mile north of the Circle K.
Officers say they found a Glock 9mm caliber handgun as well as the stolen cigarette and cash inside Wilson’s backpack. Johnson was found hiding in nearby bushes with another backpack carrying a Glock Model 45 handgun.
“Armed criminals who terrorize our community must be held accountable,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in a release. “I am thankful for the quick reaction of the responding IMPD and Beech Grove officers, preventing the defendants from getting away with their crimes and further endangering the public. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates our commitment to working closely with the FBI, and all our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement as we seek to reduce gun violence.”
The U.S. attorney’s office was not able to provide mugshots of the criminals.
