For Armed Carjacking in Northwest Washington
-Took Scooter at Gunpoint in Broad Daylight -
WASHINGTON - Donnell Thomas, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for an armed carjacking that took place last year in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Thomas was found guilty by a jury in August 2014 of armed carjacking and unauthorized use of a vehicle. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Thomas was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on five years of superviced release. Under District of Columbia law, armed carjacking carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years of incarceration.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 2, 2013, at about 8 p.m., Thomas and his juvenile accomplice carjacked the victim’s motor scooter at gunpoint at 14th and Belmont Streets NW. The victim got a good look at both of the carjackers, who rode off on the scooter. Grainy surveillance video also showed the two carjackers walking down the street a couple blocks from the site of the crime shortly before it occurred.
Over the course of the following 24 hours, Thomas sent texts and Facebook messages, bragging about obtaining a scooter. Thomas also received a Facebook message from his accomplice concerning their plans to meet on the following day, Aug. 3, 2013.
At approximately 6 p.m. on Aug. 3, a U.S. Capitol Police officer spotted both carjackers on the scooter in the 200 block of H Street NW. When the officer went to pull the scooter over, Thomas moved away from the scooter, attempted to walk away from arresting officers, and falsely claimed the scooter was a gift from a relative.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tamaya Reid and Donville Drummond; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Carroll, John Giovannelli, Suzanne Curt, and John Mannarino, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Cannon. Finally, he thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Spence and Christine Macey, of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section, who prosecuted the matter.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
