A man accused of a July 2022 carjacking has been arrested and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday.
La’Vontray Hayes-Williams, 19, of Jennings, was indicted on Nov. 16, 2022, on one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He was arrested on August 24, 2023, and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
The indictment accuses Hayes-Williams of stealing a 2018 Nissan Sentra on July 7, 2022, in St. Louis County. A motion seeking to have Hayes-Williams held in jail until trial says the St. Louis County Police Department quickly spotted the car after the victim ran to a nearby gas station and called police. Hayes-Williams was caught after a chase that reached speeds of 112 mph and found with a .45-caliber Glock pistol in his satchel, the motion says.
The carjacking charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The firearm brandishing charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to all other charges, and a maximum of life in prison.
Hayes-Williams also faces charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj is prosecuting the case.
