An 18-year-old was sentenced Aug. 3 to five years in prison for robbing an e-bike from a 12-year-old boy at gunpoint near a Gilbert school, court records show.
Dyllin Jonas Keys pleaded guilty to armed robbery, a class 2 felony, according to an Aug. 3 news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The boy was riding his e-bike on a trail near the school Feb. 6 when Keys and a 14-year-old boy approached him, prosecutors said.
Gilbert police were dispatched about 8:41 p.m. to the area of East Elliot Road and Trail Crossing, east of Greenfield Junior High, according to the probable cause statement filed after Keys’ arrest.
An officer wrote that Keys pointed a .22-caliber handgun at the boy’s chest and threatened to shoot him unless he handed
over the bike. Keys also warned the boy not to call police, prosecutors said.
The boy handed over the bike and called 911 after the two left. Police arrested Keys about 34 minutes after the initial call, according to the probable-cause statement.
"He just stole my bike... I worked so hard for that," the victim can be heard in 911 audio.
A Gilbert police officer found Keys nearby riding the boy’s e-bike, prosecutors said, arresting him at gunpoint along the side of a canal, as seen in dashcam footage shared by Gilbert police.
The Victrip R6 e-bike was valued at $799, according to the probable-cause statement.
Police identified the 14-year-old through work by patrol officers, detectives and school resource officers, and he was arrested Feb. 17. He later pleaded delinquent to robbery and received probation, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Rueter ordered Keys’ prison term to begin Aug. 3 and gave him credit for 177 days already spent in custody.
“The fear in the victim’s voice was heartbreaking, but he showed tremendous courage by calling 911,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the announcement.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ man robbed 12 year old of an e-bike. Now he gets 5 years in prison
