3 charged in armed robbery involving shots fired and a Lyft vehicle in Milwaukee plead not guilty

Kadrien Dil-Lon Mclaughlin



MILWAUKEE -- Three young men facing charges in connection with an armed robbery involving shots fired -- and a Lyft vehicle in Milwaukee were in court Wednesday, April 3 for their arraignments, where they pleaded not guilty.

Kadrien Dil-Lon Mclaughlin, 19, faces three charges:


    After he entered the not guilty plea, a jury trial was scheduled for June.

    Mclaughlin has an open case filed in January 2018 in which he was charged with operator flee/elude officer -- bodily harm or property damage, second degree recklessly endangering safety, drive or operate vehicle without consent and resisting or obstructing an officer. He appeared in court on March 14 for a "return on warrant" appearance, and his cash bond was amended to an additional $10,000, for a total of $10,500. A bench warrant was issued on March 5 after he failed to appear in court.

    In August 2016, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors -- obstructing an officer and operating a vehicle without consent -- passenger. He was sentenced to 18 months in the House of Correction -- which was imposed and stayed, and he was instead placed on probation for three years.

    Jonathan Lindsey



    Jonathan Lindsey, 19, faces three charges:


      A status conference was set for April 24 after the not guilty plea during his arraignment.

      Trevonn Smith



      Trevonn Smith, 21, faces four charges:


        After Smith entered the not guilty plea, a status conference was set for April 24.

        Smith has an open case filed in June 2018. He pleaded guilty to five of nine felonies in December 2018:

        Manufacture/deliver heroin (less than three grams) -- three counts
        Manufacture/deliver heroin (greater than three to 10 grams), use of a dangerous weapon
        Possession with intent to deliver heroin (greater than 10-50 grams)

        He will be sentenced on May 3.

        According to a criminal complaint in the armed robbery case, police on the evening of Feb. 27 were dispatched to the area near Holton and North for a robbery complaint. They met up with a man who said earlier that day, he spoke with Trevonn Smith and they agreed to meet near Booth and Garfield.

        He said he and his brother pulled up on Booth Street and could see Smith in another vehicle -- an Acura. Both vehicles parked on Garfield and the man said he got into the Acura. Soon, he said two men appeared outside the Acura -- one with a pistol and one with an assault rifle. He said the man with the assault rifle said, "You know what this is. Give me that (expletive)." He said the men tried pulling him out of the vehicle, but he resisted, telling the men, "I ain't got (expletive)." He identified Jonathan Lindsey as one of the men who tried to pull him from the vehicle.

        The victim said during this incident, Smith "grabbed a pair of Cartier sunglasses" off of his head. He said the man who had the assault rifle then walked over to the victim's vehicle -- where his brother was still seated. The brother said the suspect with the assault rifle said, "Yeah, you know what time it is. Give me all your (expletive) money." He identified the suspect as Mclaughlin. The brother said he "threw all of his possessions on the front driver's seat" and as Mclaughlin was collecting them, the brother opened the door and ran to a nearby gas station, where he called 911.

        The first victim said the man with the assault rifle then came back to the Acura and said, "Let's go. Let's go," telling the victim to go back to his vehicle. The victim said he drove away quickly and "heard multiple gunshots strike his car."

        Soon after the 911 call came in, the complaint said officers spotted the Acura -- with a Lyft light. A pursuit ensued, and officers noticed another vehicle, a Buick, was following the Acura. The pursuit lasted for three miles and reached speeds of more than 80 miles per hour on city streets. The complaint said the pursuit stopped multiple times, only to restart. The driver of the Acura eventually attempted to enter an off-ramp for 43, but struck a wall, coming to a stop.

        The complaint said the driver, Smith, and the front seat passenger, Lindsey, took off running. Both were arrested after a short foot chase.

        The complaint said investigators recovered a 9mm Glock handgun with an extended magazine from the floorboard under the driver's seat, three spent 9mm casings from the center console gear shifter and a pair of Cartier sunglasses from the front passenger seat. They also recovered a bag containing three baggies filled with methamphetamine and heroin.

        At the armed robbery/shots fired scene near Booth and Garfield, investigators recovered a spent 9mm casing and spent 10mm casing, and noticed a vehicle parked in the area had been struck by the gunfire.

        Investigators spoke with Lindsey, and the complaint said he indicated he got into a vehicle with a Lyft light and asked for a ride home. Shortly thereafter, he said the vehicle was pulled over. Lindsey said he and the driver took off running.

        In a separate statement, Lindsey said he was picked up by Mclaughlin in the Buick, and they drove to meet up with others. He said they exited the Buick and entered an Acura -- sitting in the back seat. Soon, a third man entered the back seat of the Acura, and the vehicle was full.

        Lindsey said shortly thereafter, two men came and robbed the third man in the back seat, along with the driver of the Acura.

        Then, Mclaughlin, the back seat passenger who was robbed and the front seat passenger exited the Acura and got into the Buick.

        Lindsey said he got into the front seat of the Acura, and was a passenger when the Acura fled police.

        In a third statement, Lindsey told investigators he drove to the meetup with Mclaughlin -- getting into the front seat of the Acura while Mclaughlin and another man stayed in the Buick behind the Acura. When the victim got into the back seat of the Acura, Mclaughlin and the other man pretended to rob the driver, as they actually robbed the victim. Lindsey said he didn't know they were going to rob the victim.

        FOX6 News reached out to Lyft to confirm whether one of the suspects was a driver. We have not heard back.