Roanoke Man Indicted for Gun Crimes, Hobbs Act Robbery

ROANOKE, Va. – Federal agents arrested a Roanoke County man late last week who was indicted by a federal grand jury for his involvement in a violent Hobbs Act robbery and a variety of firearms offense.

On Friday, Damon Tyler Mills, a.k.a. Tyler Mills, 27, was arrested on a federal indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

The indictment, returned under seal last week, was unsealed following Mills’ arrest. He made his initial court appearance today.

According to the indictment, in December 2018, Mills and another individual robbed two individuals of a firearm, marijuana, and money, and brandished a firearm in doing so. Approximately two months later, on February 24, 2019, Mills is alleged to have been involved in another incident, whereby he discharged a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Mills is charged with possessing marijuana on that same date with the intent to distribute the marijuana.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roanoke County Police Department investigated the case.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Washington Field Division, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charlene R. Day and Jason M. Scheff are prosecuting the case.

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.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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