Two Men Plead Guilty to Assaulting, Robbing and Carjacking a Woman at Gunpoint

            WASHINGTON – Laithen Bell, 20, of Washington, D.C., and Cornell Jamison, 21, Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in Superior Court to assaulting, robbing and carjacking a woman at gunpoint on January 22, 2025, announced Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Bell pleaded guilty to carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. 

            Jamison pleaded guilty to carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a prohibited weapon (machine gun).

            The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld accepted Bell and Jamison’s pleas and scheduled their sentencing for April 17, 2026.

            According to court documents, on January 22, 2025, in the 4300 Block of 3rd Street SE, at approximately 12:28 a.m., a woman was returning home and parked on the street near an apartment building. As she pulled into the parking space, she observed a white van pulling up beside her car and then drive off. As she exited her vehicle, the white van returned and pulled beside her. The woman attempted to get to safety in the apartment building, but she was attacked from behind by several men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The men beat her, struck her with the handgun, and ultimately robbed her of her clothing, keys, and cellphone.  They also took her car.

            Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Levy and Lauren Miller.

2025 CF3 001030; 2025 CF3 002082