Eugene Willis, Carjacking with Firearm, Florida 2016

Eugene Willis, 24, of Orlando, is done running. A federal jury in Tampa convicted him today on two counts of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime spree that terrorized the Tampa Bay area in 2016. The verdict ends a years-long chase through the justice system, but the damage was done in a single, chaotic night.

On October 8, 2016, Willis, along with co-conspirators Sedrick Hamilton and Justin Crumpton, drove from Orlando to Tampa with one goal: commit commercial burglaries. That plan escalated fast. Inspired by a rap song, the trio targeted a man’s Dodge Charger and ripped it from his hands at gunpoint. That act marked the start of a violent odyssey that would end in flames, hostages, and federal indictments.

After stealing the Charger, Willis and the others led law enforcement on a high-speed chase across county lines. They crashed the stolen vehicle, then immediately carjacked a second victim — a woman — of her Kia Optima. That car, too, was wrecked in another crash. The men fled on foot to a fast food restaurant, barricaded themselves inside, and took two employees hostage. The standoff ended with federal agents dragging them out in cuffs.

Willis was indicted on October 26, 2016, on federal charges that carried a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years, up to life in prison. He chose to go to trial. His co-defendants, Sedrick Hamilton and Justin Crumpton, avoided that risk — both pleaded guilty and are now awaiting sentencing. Their cooperation may have sealed Willis’s fate.

The investigation was a full-court press by federal and local forces. The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and Lakeland Police Department all played critical roles in building the case. From tire marks to surveillance footage, the evidence painted a clear picture of reckless, armed violence.

Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons prosecuted the case, calling the spree a direct threat to public safety. Sentencing for Eugene Willis has not yet been scheduled. But when the day comes, the judge will have one message: carjacking in Tampa doesn’t go unanswered.

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