Wichita man sentenced for robbery spree where he wore masks, asked for churro
A Sedgwick County judge on Friday sentenced a 45-year-old man to 16 1/2 years in prison for a five-day string of armed robberies at several Wichita gas stations, a liquor store and a Mexican restaurant in September 2024.
Stephen Ronald Langa of Wichita pleaded guilty on Sept. 18 to seven amended counts of robbery. He was sentenced by Judge Sean Hatfield to 198 months in prison followed by two years of post-released supervision, Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Lyndsee Stover said.
He plans to appeal, court records indicate.
“The charges stemmed from incidents occurring between Sept. 24, 2024, and Sept. 28, 2024. During this window, the defendant engaged in a series of robberies that prompted an intensive investigation by the Wichita Police Department,” Stover said by email.
According to an affidavit, they include:
- An armed robbery at the Jump Start gas station at 1535 E. Pawnee around 2:50 a.m. Sept. 24 where Langa stole $308 and 15 packs of Newport cigarettes while wearing a Superman facemask. Store workers told police Langa racked the slide on his gun, pointed it at them and threatened to kill them if they didn’t comply.
- An armed robbery at the Dollar General at 2909 N. Broadway around 3:15 p.m. Sept. 24 where Langa stole the cash drawer from a register after pointing at gun at and threatening an employee.
- An armed robbery at the Pawnee Liquor and Smoke Shop, 606 E. Pawnee, around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 25 where Langa pointed a gun at an employee’s face while demanding money from the register. He stole the register’s cash drawer, which contained about $200.
- An armed robbery at the Kwik Shop at 4802 E. 21st St. around 4:40 a.m. Sept. 27 where Langa pointed a gun at the clerk while wearing a surgical mask. He told the clerk “to hurry to the cash register” and grabbed $73 when she opened it.
- An armed robbery at the Kwik Shop at 6327 E. 13th St. around 11:30 p.m. Sept. 27 where Langa pointed his gun at a clerk’s face and told her to “give me all the money” while wearing a surgical mask. The clerk handed over $120 and two packs of Newport 100 cigarettes before Langa ran away.
- An armed robbery at the Road Runner Mexican Fast Food restaurant, 2420 S. Oliver, around 4 a.m. Sept. 28 where Langa pointed a gun at employees and demanded cash from the register after asking for a churro. He stole the entire register, which contained about $30 in coins, lost credit cards and pre-signed checks for the business. He also broke the restaurant’s payment system, worth about $1,199.
- An armed robbery at the Jump Start gas station at 895 S. Woodlawn around 6:30 a.m. Sept. 28 where Langa pointed a gun at a clerk counting cash at the register and told her, “Gimme the money.” He then turned his gun on another clerk and demanded money from her register. In total, $350.61 was stolen.
“Prosecutors argued that the frequency and nature of the crimes warranted a significant prison term to ensure public safety and provide justice for the victims involved,” Stover said in the email.
According to the affidavit, when Wichita police tracked Langa down, he told officers that he “had been at an abandoned house smoking crack” and wasn’t involved in any robberies. But surveillance video from several of the businesses contradicted his claim.
Confronted with that evidence, Langa told police “he was not a bad person and was in a bad spot” and mentioned being fearful for his grandson because “the cartel in Wichita was bad,” the affidavit says.
A motion filed by Langa’s attorney ahead of his sentencing hearing blamed drug use for his conduct, saying he was high on PCP because he was trying to alleviate “painful opiate withdrawal” after using a mix of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“He was in excruciating pain. When an acquaintance told him to ‘take this, it will help you feel better,’ Mr. Langa was beyond being able to think logically or rationally and simply did as he was told,” the motion says. “For the next four days, the acquaintance and other people unknown to Mr. Langa kept him high, while also encouraging and facilitating his participation in the robberies.”
At the time of his sentencing hearing Langa would have been sober for more than a year, the longest period of sobriety of his life, according to the motion, which also notes that his remorse “is obvious.”
