Two men are facing multiple felony counts, including charges carrying potential life sentences, after an armed gunpoint carjacking of a rented SUV in Grosse Pointe Woods.
Robert Bates, 37, of Detroit, and Skylar Carlisle, 28, of Eastpointe, were arraigned July 30 in Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court before Judge Theodore Metry.
State prosecutors say the incident occurred on July 28, when Bates and Carlisle confronted a man and his daughter at gunpoint and stole their rented 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The two suspects then sped away in a separate getaway vehicle. The getaway ended shortly after when the pair crashed the vehicle nearby, where Grosse Pointe Woods police officers arrested both men at the scene.
Bates faces seven charges, including one count of carjacking—a crime punishable by up to life in prison—along with third-degree fleeing and eluding, carrying a concealed weapon, firearm possession by a prohibited person, assault with a dangerous weapon, altering identification marks on a firearm, and three counts of felony firearm with a second offense notice. Prosecutors also charged Bates as a fourth-offense habitual offender, which elevates potential penalties upon conviction.
Carlisle faces five counts: carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, altering identification marks on a firearm, and two counts of felony firearm.
“Armed, violent carjackings have no place in our communities, and our office remains committed to utilizing the Auto Fraud Task Force to target and dismantle auto theft operations across our state,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said following the arraignment. Nessel credited the response to cooperation between police departments in Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe City, Grosse Pointe Farms, Harper Woods, and the Michigan State Police.
Grosse Pointe Woods Director of Public Safety John G. Kosanke praised the responding officers for taking the suspects into custody without further incident.
“The swift police response and arrest of these suspects reflects the outstanding work of our officers and our law enforcement partners,” Kosanke said. “Carjacking is a serious and violent crime, and we will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety of our community. Thanks to the diligent work of investigators, those responsible for these carjackings are now facing criminal charges.”
Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, stressed the broader dangers tied to vehicle thefts.
“Auto theft is often a dangerous crime, one that rarely stops with just stealing a vehicle,” Grady said. “We remain committed to making our communities safer and know our success relies on cooperation like we have seen in these cases.”
The prosecution is being handled by the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Auto Fraud Task Force. The state expanded the unit in January 2025 from its original focus on insurance fraud into a broader team targeting organized auto theft rings across Metro Detroit in partnership with the Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Auto-Theft Recovery Team.
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