Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – Jonathan Thompson, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to carjacking and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Acting Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Criminals who are not deterred from carrying guns by the threat of prison time can be deterred by the reality of years spent in a federal prison with no parole - ever,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Police and prosecutors are working to identify and prosecute armed criminals to make our communities safer.”

According to his guilty plea, the victim was sitting in her vehicle at the intersection of Ednor and Lakeside Avenues in Baltimore.  Thompson approached the vehicle and ordered the victim out of the vehicle at gunpoint.  Thompson then got into the driver’s side of the vehicle and co-defendant Dominique Chase got into the passenger side of the vehicle and Thompson drove away.  Several minutes later Thompson and Chase switched seats, and Chase continued driving away from the location.

The victim called 911, then spoke with Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers.  BPD officers located the vehicle later that day.  Chase surrendered to police, but Thompson ran away and hid a loaded firearm as he ran.  Several minutes later, officers located Thompson hiding behind a garbage can and arrested him.  The officers also recovered the firearm that Thompson had hidden.

Thompson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Thompson will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.  Dominique Chase, age 23, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to carjacking.  Chase faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.  Both defendants remain detained.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting the case.

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