East Cleveland man indicted for a carjacking in Cleveland Heights and an armed bank robbery in Richmond Heights

An East Cleveland man was indicted in federal court for a carjacking in Cleveland Heights and an armed bank robbery in Richmond Heights.

Lashawn Davis, 18, was indicted on two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of carjacking and one count of armed bank robbery.

Davis brandished a firearm on Feb. 4 when he took a 2016 Hyundai Elantra from someone on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights.

He also brandished a firearm on Feb. 17 when he robbed the Dollar Bank on Wilson Mills Road in Richmond Heights, according to the indictment.

Davis posted a photo of himself to Instagram that was taken on Jan. 3 showing himself holding two new Glock pistol boxes. A victim of the bank robbery described the weapon used as having two circles in the area of the muzzle. An employee of the bank heard a robber yell: “you got five seconds or I’m going to (expletive) kill you,” according to court documents.

A bank employee captured the license plate of the getaway vehicle. It was the same license plate as the vehicle that was carjacked in Cleveland Heights 13 days earlier, according to court documents.

Agents searching Davis’ residence at 1835 Penrose Ave. found a revolver and a Glock 27 pistol with an attached red laser sight. Together, the muzzle and the laser sight appeared as circles. A fresh stack of $2 bills were also found in his bedroom. A new stack of $2 bills were taken during the bank robbery, according to court documents.

“If you point a firearm at someone while robbing them, we will work to send you to prison for as long as the law allows,” said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. “This case is a great example of law enforcement working together to get a dangerous criminal off the streets.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony said: “The FBI Violent Crime Task Force will continue working with our law enforcement partners to rid our streets of violent criminals like this one. This individual terrorized the driver of the car he carjacked and the folks present in the bank that he robbed. Davis is being held accountable for the illegal actions he chose to engage in.”

“This was good work done by law enforcement – we got a dangerous person off our streets,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “This collaboration between CPD, ATF, FBI and my office’s Crime Strategies Unit means the U.S. Attorney’s Office is getting a stronger case for prosecution, sending a loud signal that if you break the law you will be caught and harshly prosecuted.”

The case remains under investigation.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cleveland Division of Police, the Cleveland Heights Police Department and the Richmond Heights Police Department, with assistance from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Crime Strategies Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Zarzycki and Robert J. Patton.          

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.