Independence Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robberies, Illegal Firearm Following Police Chase

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to committing two armed robberies and illegally possessing a firearm after fleeing from police officers in a pick-up truck.

Duke A. Yates, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to two counts of robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Yates robbed a Quik Trip and a Walgreen’s, both in Independence, at gunpoint within 10 minutes of each other at about 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2023. Yates stole a total of between $500 and $700 in cash and a dozen packs of cigarettes from the stores.

A police officer spotted Yates driving a white Ford F350 pickup truck with a missing headlight, matching the description of the vehicle used in the robberies, traveling eastbound on U.S. 40 Highway near Blue Ridge Cutoff. Yates fled at the presence of the officer, with the lights now blacked out on the vehicle. The officer turned on his lights and sirens and initiated a pursuit that reached speeds over 100 miles per hour.

During the pursuit, the truck failed to stop for posted stop signs and drove over medians. The truck slid onto 23^rd Street facing eastbound in the westbound lanes, causing another motorist to drive onto the shoulder to avoid a collision. Yates drove into oncoming traffic and veered at a marked police vehicle that was attempting to deploy stop sticks.

Yates failed to negotiate a turn at 24911 E. Truman Road and went off-road, colliding with a power pole and breaking it at the base. Yates fled on foot and resisted arrest while being taken into custody.

Officers searched the stolen truck and found a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun on the driver’s side floorboard.

Under federal statutes, Yates is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.