17 and 18 years old armed robbers who led Willoughby police on a chase get 6–11 years in prison
By: -----
Willoughby, OH - The three aggravated robbers who led officers in a pursuit last summer when they were just 17 and 18 years old, are now learning how long they’ll be in prison, the Willoughby Police Department confirmed.
The victim of an aggravated robbery called Willoughby police at approximately 9:04 p.m. on July 29, 2025.
He told officers he had just been robbed at gunpoint at the Willo Park Apartments on Euclid Avenue, said WPD.
WPD said he was able to give a description of the suspects’ car, which officers broadcasted to surrounding law enforcement agencies.
Officers also used the Flock Safety License Plate Reader to identify a registration linked to the car.
The Bedford Police Department spotted the car shortly after and initiated a traffic stop.
The car didn’t stop, so a pursuit ensued, according to WPD.
WPD said the pursuit ended when Bedford police conducted a PIT maneuver, but the four people inside ran out of the car.
Two of those suspects were apprehended by Bedford police at the scene, said WPD.
The Willoughby Police Department Detective Bureau later identified the other two suspects who were inside the car, which led them to get a search warrant to a Maple Heights home on Morning Star Avenue, WPD stated.
Before the search warrant was executed, a car leaving the Maple Heights home was stopped, and the third suspect was arrested, stated WPD.
The search warrant was soon executed, which led police to seize several firearms, according to WPD.
WPD said one of those was a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifle that was stolen out of East Cleveland.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigators teamed up with WPD to discover the rifle was linked to five separate incidents throughout the greater Cleveland area, WPD stated.
Search warrants were also obtained for the suspects’ cell phones and social media accounts.
The United States Secret Service assisted WPD detectives the digital evidence collections, WPD said.
Three total suspects from Maple Heights were charged in connection to the aggravated robbery, WPD confirmed.
WPD said Da’nerow K. Logan, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was charged with:
* Aggravated robbery - first-degree felony
* Failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer - third-degree felony
* Grand theft of a firearm - third-degree felony
* Tampering with evidence - third-degree felony
Logan pleaded guilty to these charges in the Lake County Court of Common Pleas on Oct. 24, 2025, said WPD:
* Aggravated robbery with a firearm specification
* Failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer
* Grand theft of a firearm
He was sentenced to 9-11.5 years in prison on Nov. 25, 2025 by the
Honorable Judge Patrick J. Condon.
WPD stated Joseph D. Smith, who was also 18 at the time of the offense, was charged with:
* Aggravated robbery - first-degree felony
* Grand theft of a firearm - third-degree felony
* Tampering with evidence - third-degree felony
WPD shared Smith pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with a firearm specification on Nov. 20, 2025.
He was sentenced to 6-7.5 years in prison on Jan. 16 by the Honorable Judge John P. O’Donnell.
Currency B. Fitzgerald, who was 17 at the time of the aggravated robbery, was bound over from Lake County Juvenile Court to the Lake County Court of Common Pleas and charged as an adult, WPD confirmed.
WPD said Fitzgerald was charged with:
* Aggravated robbery - first-degree felony
* Grand theft of a firearm - third-degree felony
* Tampering with evidence - third-degree felony
* Having weapons while under disability - third-degree felony
* Improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle - fourth-degree felony
WPD shared he pleaded guilty to these charges on Jan. 12:
* Aggravated robbery with a firearm specification
* Tampering with evidence
* Having weapons while under disability
Fitzgerald is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Judge Vincent A. Culotta on Feb. 27.
Detectives determined the fourth person that was in the car involved in the pursuit was not involved in the robbery, according to WPD.