Beachwood Gas Station Robber Sentenced To Prison: Prosecutors

BEACHWOOD, OH — Mye Kel Cannady has been sentenced to prison for robbing 17 gas stations in 30 days in Cuyahoga County, including one in Beachwood.

Cannady, 21, from Cleveland, was sentenced to 25 to 29 years in prison on Monday. He previously pleaded guilty to 18 counts of aggravated robbery and one count each for failure to comply, vandalism and having weapons under disability.

“This serial robber traumatized nearly two dozen people at gunpoint in only a month’s time,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “He has been held accountable for the havoc he wreaked in our community.”

Between Aug. 27, 2020 and Sept. 26, 2020, Cannady robbed 17 different gas stations (and robbed one gas station twice). He robbed six gas stations in Cleveland, three in Parma, two in Lakewood, two in Independence, and one each in Maple Heights, Brooklyn, Brook Park, and Beachwood, court documents said.

During each robbery, Cannady waited outside the gas station looking for the right moment, prosecutors said. He then walked into the store, pulled out his gun and demanded cash from the clerks, court documents said.

In some of the incidents, Cannady pistol-whipped clerks and threatened to kill them, court documents said. He would then run away from the gas station.

On Sept. 26, 2020, Parma police began investigating two armed robberies that happened on the same day. They found the suspect's car near W. 130th Street and Brookpark Road, court documents said.

As officers approached the car, Cannady sped away and a car chase began, court documents said.

The chase wound through Parma and onto Cleveland's east side, where Cannady was eventually trapped on a dead-end road. He hit two police cruisers in an attempt to escape, failed, and then jumped out of the car and began running, prosecutors said.

Officers chased him down and took him into custody, court documents said.

Video surveillance, photos and DNA evidence linked Cannady to the string of robberies in the county.

The 21-year-old later pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He faces 25 to 29 years in prison under the Reagan Tokes Law, which implements indefinite sentencing for non-life felonies. The Ohio Department of Corrections will review Cannady's case after he has served 25 years in prison and then determine if he should be released early.