CLEVELAND — A 21-year-old Cleveland man was sentenced to 25 to 29 years in prison Monday for 18 armed robberies of gas stations within a 30-day period across Cuyahoga County in 2020.
Mye Kel Cannady, 21, pleaded guilty to 18 counts of aggravated robbery, one count of failure to comply, one county of vandalism and one count of having weapons under disability.
Between Aug. 27 to Sept. 26, Cannady robbed 17 gas stations, one of which he robbed twice, which included six in Cleveland, three in Parma, two in Lakewood, two in Independence and one each in Maple Heights, Brooklyn, Brook Park and Beachwood.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Cannady waited outside and then entered the stores and demanded money from the victims at gunpoint. The victims, males and females, ranged in age from 19 to 62 years old.
During some of the robberies, he pistol-whipped victims and threatened their lives. He stole cash, cigarettes and other merchandise, the prosecutor's office said.
On Sept. 26, 2020, Cannady was arrested after he led Parma police on a chase that spanned multiple jurisdictions before ending near Garfield Boulevard and East 78th Street in Cleveland.
The chase ended at a dead-end road where Cannady hit two police cruisers in an attempt to escape. He exited his vehicle and was arrested after a brief foot chase.
The prosecutor’s office said DNA evidence, surveillance and photos helped link Cannady to the armed robberies.
Cannady was sentenced under “The Reagan Tokes Law,” which implements an indefinite sentencing system for non-life felonies of the first and second-degree in which a judge imposes a minimum term and a maximum term (that includes an additional 50% of the minimum term imposed).
His case will be reviewed after he served 25 years and the Ohio Department of Corrections will make a determination as to whether he should be released.
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