Serious Violent Felon Sentenced to Over 14 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of Southside Bakery

INDIANAPOLIS – Ryan Hickey, 34, of Indianapolis was sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, on January 30, 2021, Hickey made a purchase at Boyden’s Southside Bakery on south Meridian Street. He left the business after his purchase but returned to its back door a short time later. After knocking on the door, he was greeted by two female employees. Hickey brandished a gun at the employees, announced he was robbing the business, and fired a shot between the employees into the kitchen.

Another employee at the front of the bakery heard the gunshot, saw Hickey walking towards the front of the business, and immediately retrieved her own gun. Hickey demanded money at the cash register where there was a brief struggle between Hickey and the employee with the gun. Hickey then fled through the backdoor of the business. A customer at the bakery saw what was happening and gave chase, eventually catching Hickey. After a brief struggle, Hickey pulled a firearm from his pocket and threatened to shoot the customer in the head. Hickey ran away and fled in a car, but not before the victim observed the license plate number.

A witness across the street saw what was happening at the bakery and the struggle between Hickey and the customer. The witness followed Hickey as he fled in the car and provided police with the license plate number and description of the driver and car. A short time later, police located the unoccupied car at a residence. Hickey exited the residence and returned to the vehicle but ran back into the residence after seeing police outside.

After a standoff with police, Hickey exited from the residence and was placed into custody. Hickey admitted to robbing the bakery. A search warrant was executed at the residence and police recovered the semiautomatic pistol used in the robbery. Hickey has numerous prior felony convictions, including armed robbery and dealing in a controlled substance.

“The people of our community should not have to fear armed, violent criminals as they simply try to do their jobs or patronize a business. Repeat offenders engaged in gun crimes will face serious consequences for their actions. Working closely with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and our federal law enforcement partners to help stem the tide of violent crime in Indianapolis is a top priority in the Southern District of Indiana,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. “The sentence imposed today should demonstrate to the public, and to the defendant, that we will work vigorously to protect the public and hold those who commit violent crimes accountable.”

“This is yet another example of the value our federal partners bring to fighting violent crime in Indianapolis,” said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. “I am grateful for the work our detectives, federal investigators, and federal prosecutors put into this case as well as their continued collaboration.”

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II. As part of the sentence, Judge Sweeney II ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who prosecuted this case.

This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.