Man recruited kids to help him steal 50 guns in 2-day crime spree in Michigan, feds say
A Michigan man was sentenced to prison after officials said he recruited kids to help him on a two-day crime spree.
Deon Bell, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer and receiving stolen firearms, according to court records.
McClatchy News reached out to Bell’s attorney but didn’t immediately hear back.
On Sept. 11, 2022, Bell recruited three people, including one minor, to help him with a burglary, according to a Nov. 21 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Together, they stole guns from a gun store in Dearborn Heights, officials said.
“The group stole a car, crashed it into the front of the store, and stole 22 weapons,” officials said.
Then, the next night, Bell recruited two juveniles to “join his crime spree,” officials said.
“The group again stole a car, crashed it into the front of the gun store, and stole 25 more weapons. After this second robbery, Bell led police officers on a high-speed chase, putting all on the road at risk,” officials said.
Authorities said some of the guns are still unaccounted for.
“Stealing cars, crashing them into gun stores to rob them, and putting nearly 50 stolen guns on the street endangered our community in so many ways,” U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison said in the release. “Worse still is the fact that Bell recruited juveniles to commit these crimes with him. Deon Bell’s repeated, reckless violent conduct has no place in our community.”
Bell was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, on top of a separate eight and a half year sentence.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Man recruited kids to help him steal 50 guns in 2-day crime spree in Michigan, feds say."
