KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo. man pleaded guilty today in federal court to the armed robbery of a T-Mobile store in Kansas City, Mo.
Derrick C. Davis, 22, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Greg Kays to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm in support of a violent crime. Co-defendant Vondell D. Walton, 21, of Grandview, Mo., pleaded guilty on Dec. 6, 2021, to the armed robbery of a T-Mobile store in Raymore, Mo., and awaits sentencing.
Pleading guilty today, Davis admitted to robbing the T-Mobile store at 819 NW Barry Road in Kansas City, Missouri on March 8, 2019. Davis and another suspect entered the store at about 9 PM as it was closing . Both men wore masks, gloves and hoodies and were armed with handguns. Davis put a black gun to an employee’s head. They grabbed a plastic bin and stole several iPhones and iPads from a back room, including one that contained a GPS tracking device.
When Davis fled the company in a 2015 BMW X1 sedan, the tracking device activated and began broadcasting GPS locations for the device. Police officers followed the locations and found the BMW in the Gregory Boulevard and Raytown Road area. The agents attempted to stop the vehicle using the hazard lights and sirens; however, the vehicle refused to stop and officers gave chase. During the chase, the suspects threw a camouflage bag out of the vehicle near 90th Street and Raytown Road. The officer used stop sticks on the vehicle in the Bannister Road and Raytown Road area, but they lost sight of the vehicle shortly thereafter. Officers found the camouflage bag in the 90th Street and Raytown Road area; the bag contained the stolen iPhones, an iPad, a tracking device, and a black Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
A short time later, the BMW was found, partially burned, in Grandview, Mo. The vehicle appeared to have been set on fire intentionally. The fire was extinguished and the vehicle was towed. Officers later found Walton’s driver’s license inside the vehicle, which was registered to Davis’ mother.
Just after midnight, Kansas City Police officers were driving to the location where the camouflage bag was found. Davis and another individual were walking on the side of the road with cell phone flashlights on, apparently looking for something. When officers contacted them, they denied looking for anything and were released from the scene.
Under the terms of today’s plea deal, the government and Davis agree that the court should impose a sentence of 14 years in federal prison without parole. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other legal factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the completion of an investigation into the submission by the US Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney David A. Barnes. He was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
