A Baltimore man was sentenced on July 29 to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted of an armed carjacking at a local gas station. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar imposed the sentence on Ron Wardlow, 27, who will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Wardlow was found guilty by a jury in April 2026 of carjacking, using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. The case involved an incident on February 27, 2025, when Wardlow approached two victims at a Fells Point gas station while wearing a mask and gloves. After asking the victims for a ride and being refused, Wardlow pulled out a loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine containing 31 rounds, pointed it at one victim, demanded the keys, and drove off with their vehicle.
According to evidence presented at trial, some digital devices belonging to the victims remained in the stolen car. The victims used these devices to track their location to Liberty Heights but later discovered that activity had stopped there. When they went to retrieve their belongings from that area, they found Victim 1’s car still running before it drove away again as they approached. Police were alerted again about the vehicle’s location.
Officers from the Regional Auto Theft Task Force later located the stolen vehicle at another nearby gas station. As law enforcement arrived on scene, Wardlow fled on foot but was tracked down with assistance from aerial surveillance units. Officers apprehended him hiding near a residence’s cellar entryway and recovered both his mask and gloves as well as the loaded Glock used in the offense.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the sentence along with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Commissioner Richard Worley of Baltimore Police Department, and Chief Robert McCullough of Baltimore County Police Department.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland prosecutes federal crimes including violent offenses such as this case while serving nearly six million residents across Maryland through its civil and criminal divisions, according to its official website.