A gunpoint SUV carjacking in Grosse Pointe Woods ended with the suspects crashing a separate getaway vehicle, police said, and now two Metro Detroit men are facing felony charges. The case moved into court last week after officers took both men into custody at the crash scene without further incident.
Robert Bates, 37, of Detroit, and Skylar Carlisle, 28, of Eastpointe, were arraigned last Thursday in Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court. According to a report by Tampa Free Press, prosecutors say the pair confronted a man and his daughter at gunpoint last Tuesday, stole a rented 2021 Cadillac Escalade and then fled in another vehicle that crashed nearby.
Michigan Auto Theft Task Force Handles Prosecution
The prosecution is being handled by the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Auto Fraud Task Force, working with the Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Auto-Theft Recovery Team. A 2025 announcement from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said the unit was expanded from an insurance-fraud operation to target organized vehicle-theft networks across the state.
Bates faces charges including carjacking, third-degree fleeing and eluding, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, firearm possession by a prohibited person, altering a firearm’s identification marks and multiple felony-firearm counts. Carlisle faces charges including carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, altering firearm identification marks and felony-firearm counts, as detailed by Tampa Free Press.
Charges Could Carry Serious Prison Exposure
Michigan law makes carjacking punishable by up to life in prison, while felony-firearm penalties are imposed in addition to the underlying felony and generally must be served consecutively, according to the Michigan Legislature. Bates was also charged as a fourth-offense habitual offender, while the firearm counts include a second-offense notice that could affect sentencing if there are convictions.
The charges remain allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Officials have not publicly described any injuries from the confrontation or crash in the available account.
