Detroit man gets 12-year prison sentence for 2-hour crime spree
Ivan Armstrong mug shot. Photo via Michigan Department of Corrections
DETROIT - A Detroit man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for a two-hour violent crime spree he went on that included a carjacking and firing a weapon at his mom's house.
Ivan Xavier Armstrong, 38, was sentenced Feb. 22 for charges of carjacking and brandishing a firearm in April 2020.
Armstrong started the spree when he kicked down the front door of his mother's house on April 3 in the early hours of the morning. He then prevented her from leaving her home, damaged her phone, and fired shots at her house.
He later robbed a retired police officer of his car and wallet before getting in an altercation at a gas station.
"Violent offenders like Mr. Armstrong are our focus," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. "We are committed to bringing the full weight of the justice system to bear on individuals who are making our neighborhoods unsafe and who prey upon our citizens."
According to court records, Armstrong tapped the window of the retired officer's car and ordered him to get out. He then reached the gun before robbing the victim.
Detroit police later responded to a call of shots being fired at a gas station on East Jefferson Avenue. The shooter was gone by the time police arrived, however video surveillance of the incident showed Armstrong arrived at a gas station in a Hyundai Sonata - the same vehicle he carjacked from a retired police officer.
Video from the gas station shows a physical fight ensued and that Armstrong had fired a handgun at people inside the store.
Armstrong was later arrested after breaking into a residence on Alter Road in Detroit.
He was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Stephen J. Murphy.