Guilty Plea in Spree of Violent Armed Carjackings in the District, Maryland, and Virginia

WASHINGTON -- Taurian Anderson, 21, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with his role in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed carjackings in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Anderson pleaded guilty before Judge Beryl A. Howell to one count of conspiracy to commit carjacking, one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and to two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Judge Howell scheduled sentencing for Jan. 29, 2027.

According to court documents, Anderson and his co-conspirators began their spree of carjackings on Aug. 9, 2024. At about 12:11 a.m., Anderson brandished a handgun, approached a DoorDash delivery driver on the 4200 block of East Capitol Street NE, and ordered the driver out of his Hyundai Elantra.

About 3 hours later, at 3:30 a.m. on August 9, 2024, Anderson and a co-conspirator approached a Toyota Corolla on the 4200 block of Dupont Terrace SE. The duo ordered the driver out of the car at gunpoint and said to leave all belongings behind. The co-conspirator got behind the wheel of the Toyota and drove off in the car.

On Sept. 7, 2024, about 1:26 a.m., Anderson and his co-conspirator traveled in a stolen vehicle from the District to Silver Spring. A driver was parking their vehicle, a Honda Civic, on the 8000 block of Eastern Avenue. Anderson and his co-conspirator blocked the Civic, preventing it from moving. When the driver exited the Civic, one of the conspirators pointed a firearm and ordered the driver to "get on the ground." As the victim was lying on the ground, the duo grabbed his iPhone, wallet, and the keys to his vehicle and house. The victim, a professional musician, pleaded with them to let him get his saxophone out of the car. The duo refused. As the victim attempted to grab his instrument, one of the conspirators began to drive away in the car and dragged the victim approximately five feet down the road before he let go of the saxophone. The carjacking duo fled the area and returned to the District.

An hour later on Sept. 7, 2024, about 2:40 a.m., Anderson and his co-conspirator were in the 6700 block of New Hampshire Ave., in Hyattsville, Maryland. A driver had just parked a Toyota Prius on the block when the duo approached in the Honda Civic they had just carjacked. One of the conspirators pointed a firearm at the Prius driver while the other punched the driver twice. The Prius driver surrendered their iPhone, two laptops, credit cards, house keys, and the keys to the car. Following the carjacking, the co-conspirators took the carjacked Prius back to the District. Anderson then exchanged text messages with an unidentified individual in an attempt to sell the Prius and two other vehicles.

On Oct. 4, 2024, at about 12:15 a.m., Anderson and co-conspirators traveled to the 3000 block of South Jefferson Street, Falls Church, Virginia. One of the co-conspirators walked up to the driver's side of a parked and occupied Dodge Charger and tried to open the locked door. The conspirator then tapped on the glass of the driver's door with a firearm, at which point the driver put the Charger in drive, stepped on the gas, and fled.

Fifteen minutes later on Oct. 4, 2024, about 12:35 a.m., Anderson and his co-conspirators traveled to 5000 block Columbia Pike, Falls Church, Virginia. Four people were standing outside of a Credit Union. Anderson and his co-conspirators approached them. Anderson and one of his co-conspirators, both of whom were armed, held the four at gunpoint and ordered the group to get on the ground and empty their pockets. The bandits took the group's phones and the keys to one of the group's Toyota Prius and drove the stolen car to the District.

On October 4, 2024, less than an hour later at 1:20 a.m., Anderson and a co-conspirator approached a driver at the BP gas station on the 5000 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE. Anderson pointed a gun at the driver's face and demanded the keys to his Infiniti.

Anderson got behind the wheel of the Infiniti and started to drive away from the gas station. The co-conspirator entered the driver's seat of a nearby Mercedes-Benz and drove away in the same direction.

Later that day, about 4:03 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department helicopter located the carjacked Infiniti moving recklessly through traffic. At Independence Avenue SE and East Capitol Street SE, the Infiniti collided with another vehicle but fled the scene. In the area near RFK stadium the vehicle became stuck in heavy traffic. Anderson and his co-conspirator abandoned the car. U.S. Capitol Police apprehended the co-conspirator in a nearby recreational field. Anderson, still armed, ran under the Whitney Young Memorial Bridge and then into the Anacostia River, placing his handgun on his head. Members of MPD's Emergency Response Team and MPD negotiators responded to the scene. Around 6:42 p.m., Anderson dropped the weapon into the river, surrendered to officers on the scene, and was placed under arrest.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department's Carjacking Taskforce. The U.S. Capitol Police, Prince George's County Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, and Fairfax County Police Department provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand is prosecuting the matter.

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