U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 12 years and 10 months in prison for his role in carjacking two drivers in 2021.
On Feb. 9, 2021, Joman Williams and another man stole a 2018 Honda Civic from a man outside his apartment in St. Louis. Williams was armed with a pistol with a distinctive blue-colored laser sight.
Three and a half hours later, at 11:15 p.m., the men pulled up at a gas station in Brentwood in the stolen Civic and Williams stole a 2017 BMW 320i at gunpoint. Williams got into the BMW but switched back to the Civic before both vehicles drove off.
Richmond Heights police quickly spotted both stolen cars, triggering a chase involving multiple police departments that reached speeds of 112 m.p.h. Police eventually stopped the Civic in Maryland Heights, on the Maryland Heights Expressway near Prichard Farm Road. Williams ran away and was later found hiding in a wooded area. He had a Glock pistol with a blue laser sight and a credit card belonging to the Civic’s owner.
Williams, 22, pleaded guilty on March 24 to two counts of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The gun crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to other charges.
Williams’ companion has not been identified.
The case was investigated by the FBI and multiple area police departments, including St. Louis, Brentwood, and Maryland Heights. Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Boyce prosecuted the case.
