Indianapolis, Indiana – On the near west and near southwest sides of Indianapolis, a father and son are currently being held on robbery charges.
The father and son were placed under observation by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department after 6 robberies in 3 weeks. They were apprehended shortly after allegedly robbing a McClure Oil gas station on Rockville Road.
According to IMPD, the offenses began in late April at a Dollar General on W. Washington Street. After the crime, there was a second Dollar General on Morris Street, then a food mart, then another Dollar General on West Washington Street, followed by a Family Dollar and a Speedway.
Investigators think 50-year-old father Shane Onstott Sr. assisted in some of the heists while his son Shane Onstott Jr., 31, committed all of the heists before being apprehended robbing McClure Oil.
“It’s good that our detectives were able to identify who these individuals are and put a stop to these series of events,” said IMPD Lt. Shane Foley.
Fortunately, no one was wounded during any of the crimes, according to Lt. Foley.
A silver lighter shaped like a handgun was used by Shane Jr. to frighten the victims, according to court documents. Shane Jr. reportedly acknowledged to almost all of the offenses.
“People were in fear for their lives,” Foley said. “When someone points a gun at them, they don’t stop and look if it’s a real gun or a toy. They think that’s real. For them, that’s a real fear.”
Following many narcotics charges last year, IMPD asserts that Shane Sr. was placed on GPS tracking, and the GPS device located him close to several of the offenses.
According to the complaint, Shane Sr. admitted to IMPD that he was unaware of the thefts but knew his son had planned to steal from the establishments.
Foley asserted that IMPD will keep going after serial robbers, using covert teams to identify patterns and make arrests. The objective, he said, is that this case will serve as a deterrent to other potential thieves.
“What we find is individuals involved in robberies are often involved in a series of robberies,” said Foley. “If you’re committing robberies, you need to watch out because our covert robbery unit is hard at work to stop those robberies from taking place.”
In addition to his legal issues in Marion County, Shane Jr. also has a Shelby County theft case-related active arrest warrant since September.
