Carjacking and Robbery Spree Yields D.C. Man 13.5 Years in Prison

WASHINGTON – Dartanian Owens, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday for a carjacking and robbery spree between April 6-8, 2025, in Northeast and Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.   

Owens pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on April 9, 2026, to one count of carjacking, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of robbery and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. On August 24, 2026, Superior Court Judge Andrea Herzfeld sentenced the defendant to 162 months’ incarceration according to the government’s recommendation and declined to sentence the defendant under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. 

According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours on April 6, 2025, Owens, while armed with a firearm, carjacked the first victim, who was delivering food for DoorDash in Northeast D.C. The following day, between 4:00 a.m. and 5:20 a.m., the defendant used the carjacked vehicle to commit three armed robberies in Southeast D.C. Specifically, at 4:05 a.m. Owens approached a victim, who was on his way to work and waiting at a bus stop in front of 2701 Naylor Road SE. The defendant pointed a pink and silver handgun at him, stated “lay it down,” and robbed the victim of his AirPods, cash, and phone. Approximately one hour later at 5:05 a.m., Owens approached another victim, who was walking to the Anacostia Metro Station on his way to work. The defendant robbed this victim at gunpoint, taking a backpack containing construction tools, keys, a phone, a wallet, cash, and an ID. Around fifteen minutes later at 5:20 a.m., Owens and a co-conspirator robbed a third victim, who was waiting for an Uber to take him to his dialysis appointment. The co-conspirator exited the vehicle first and took the victim’s backpack at gunpoint. Owens then exited the driver’s side of the vehicle and demanded more from the victim while pointing a firearm him. The victim, however, had nothing left to surrender.  

In the early hours of April 8, 2025, police in Prince George’s County spotted the carjacked vehicle in a McDonald’s parking lot in Maryland and attempted a felony stop. Owens, who was alone in the vehicle, refused to pull over and fled from police. The defendant led police through Maryland and D.C., at one point driving 44 miles per hour over the speed limit through a residential neighborhood. Police disabled the vehicle using spike strips and Owens jumped from the vehicle while it was still moving. The defendant then fled on foot through a neighborhood, hiding behind houses, on porches, and behind sheds. Once apprehended, the defendant gave a false identity to the police. Along the defendant’s flight path, officers recovered a black and pink Walther PK380 handgun and a key fob belonging to the carjacked vehicle.