INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis men were sentenced to nearly a decade each in federal prison for the 2022 armed robbery of a gas station on the city's south side.
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.
According to court documents, around 3 a.m. Aug. 1, 2022, the men entered the Circle K on East Southport Road, near Interstate 65, and pointed semi-automatic handguns at an employee, demanding money from the register.
The men removed cash from the register, stole cigarettes and took the employee's phone, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Beech Grove Police Department officers found the men about a half-mile north of the gas station, finding a handgun, the cigarettes and cash inside Wilson's backpack. Another gun was found near where Johnson-Taylor was hiding in nearby bushes.
Both men will also be sentenced to three years of supervised release following their prison sentence. The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from IMPD and the Beech Grove Police Department.
"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," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zach Myers said in a statement. "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."
