Two Men Plead Guilty in Northeast D.C. Armed Carjacking

On a cold January morning in Northeast Washington, D.C., an attempt to steal a construction worker’s truck at gunpoint unfolded into a violent altercation leaving the worker assaulted, and two men facing serious jail time. Caleb Johnson, 26, pled guilty to armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, as announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia reported that Johnson’s plea was entered in Superior Court before Judge Robert A. Salerno. Johnson, arrested on June 27, now faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison for the possession of a firearm during a crime, with sentencing slated for January 13, 2025. His co-defendant, Marquis Derby, had already entered a guilty plea for the same charges earlier, on August 29.

The incident, which took place on January 12, began when the victim, engaged in his daily work routine, was accosted while retrieving equipment from his vehicle. Derby pressed a firearm into the victim’s back demanding his phone while Johnson, with blows to the face of the victim, seized his keys. Although Johnson’s attempt to start the truck failed, the duo fled the scene in an SUV. As part of a dedicated effort to address the spike in vehicular-related crimes, the case was investigated by MPD’s Carjacking Taskforce and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Lawrence.

Derby’s decision to plead guilty came after months of legal proceedings, his sentencing is now on the court calendar for December 17. 

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