FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Defendant Discharged Firearm During Two Robberies

            WASHINGTON – Shamell Joyner, 35, of the District of Columbia, has been charged by superseding criminal complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for an April 13, 2023, armed carjacking and a series of armed robberies committed between April 12 and May 2, 2023.

            U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department announced the charges.

            The superseding criminal complaint describes an armed carjacking from April 13, and eight robberies of commercial establishments from April 12 through May 2, at locations in Northeast and Northwest Washington, as well as in Alexandria, Virginia, and Hanover, Maryland.  As alleged in the complaint, Joyner brandished a firearm during all of the robberies.  He discharged a firearm during the April 12 armed robbery of a Northwest Washington gas station and the April 17 armed robbery of an Alexandria, Virginia convenience store.  A store employee working at the time of the Alexandria robbery sustained a non–life threatening gunshot wound to his leg.

            Joyner is also alleged to have carjacked a man at gunpoint in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood on April 13, and to have used that car to commit subsequent armed robbery offenses.  In addition, Joyner is alleged to have robbed a Hanover, Maryland gas station at gunpoint on May 2, during which he also stole a station employee’s vehicle.  The Metropolitan Police Department found Joyner in the stolen vehicle’s driver’s seat later that day and arrested him.  At the time of his arrest, Joyner was in possession of a firearm used in several of the robberies, as well as clothing and other evidence that tied him to numerous offenses.

            Joyner has been detained since his May 2, 2023, arrest pending further court proceedings.

            Joyner is charged with 16 counts under the United States and District of Columbia Codes.  Under the U.S. Code, Joyner is charged with six counts of Interference with Interstate Commerce by Robbery (also known as “Hobbs Act” robbery), which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; six counts of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; two counts of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Vehicles, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.  Under the D.C. Code, Joyner is charged with one count of Armed Carjacking, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and the Council of the District of Columbia and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering applicable sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

            A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Alexandria City, Anne Arundel County, Fairfax County, and Prince George’s County Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lauren E. Renaud of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            The investigation into these offenses and potentially related armed robberies of commercial establishments located in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia remains ongoing.  Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.