Abdoul Azika, Armed Carjacking, New York 2024

Two gang members have been charged with armed carjacking in Garden City, New York. Abdoul Azika, 20, and Jaquell Blackwell, 19, both from the Bronx, were arrested earlier today and arraigned in federal court.

According to the complaint, Azika and Blackwell were members of the Blood Hounds Brims gang and allegedly engaged in a pattern of violent armed carjackings and robberies across New York City and Long Island. One such incident took place on March 19, 2023, when they snuck up on a vehicle parked in a residential neighborhood in Garden City, pointed a knife and a gun at the driver's face, and told him to 'get the f*** out of the car,' before driving off with the vehicle.

United States Attorney Breon Peace stated, 'For more than a year, Azika and Blackwell terrorized and traumatized innocent members of our community through a pattern of violent, armed carjackings.' The FBI, in a statement, said, 'Abdoul Azika and Jaquell Blackwell, two Blood Hounds Brims gang members, allegedly demonstrated a pattern of violence and intimidation by forcing residents to surrender their vehicles at weapon-point.'

The defendants are alleged to have committed a series of armed robberies and carjackings, inciting fear and jeopardizing public safety. The FBI will continue to apprehend gang members who utilize violence to embolden their criminal activities and terrorize our communities.

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum of 15 years' imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Kamil R. Ammari, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rachel Friedman. The defendants will be detained pending trial.

The Garden City Police Department, the Nassau County Police Department, and the New York City Police Department assisted in the investigation.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/two-gang-members-man-charged-armed-carjacking-garden-city