Carjackers Sentenced to Federal Prison

Five Atlanta men have been sentenced to federal prison following guilty pleas for a number of violent carjackings in and around the city in December 2012 and January 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Ladarious Gibbs, Derek C. Turner, Andre Clark, and Brandon Washington pleaded guilty to to carjacking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, while Raphael Banks pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crimes.

The men committed at least seven violent carjackings in Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and DeKalb counties between Dec. 29, 2012 and Jan. 18, 2013, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Several of the incidents involved the men pointing guns at their victims and threatened to kill them. One victim, a pregnant woman, was so terrified by the men that she went into labor prematurely and had to be hospitalized, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

One defendant also led police on a 100-plus mph chase through downtown Atlanta in an attempt to elude capture, putting innocent lives at risk, according to the office.

Gibbs was sentenced to 30 years in prison, 5 years probation, and must pay $29,080.68 in restitution. Turner was sentenced to 27 years in prison with the same probation and restitution. Clark was sentenced to 10 years, followed by 5 years probation and restitution of $1,428. Washington was sentenced to 9 years, 10 months in prison followed by 5 years probation. Banks was sentenced to 4 years, 9 months in prison, 3 years probation, and $500 in restitution.