Albert Ward, Carjacking and Robbery, Alabama 2020

Birmingham Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Carjacking and Robbery

A federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, has sentenced Albert Ward, III, to 240 months in prison for carjacking and robbing a business engaged in interstate commerce, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

Ward, who had multiple prior felony convictions in state court, pleaded guilty in September 2020 to carjacking, use of a firearm during the carjacking, and an unrelated robbery of a business. He received concurrent sentences of 156 months on the carjacking and the robbery. He also received a mandatory minimum 84-month consecutive sentence for using a firearm to commit the carjacking.

On the morning of December 6, 2018, Ward used a pistol to carjack a female shopper outside a retail establishment in Hoover, Alabama. He then committed an unrelated robbery at a convenience store in northeast Jefferson County on the evening of December 8, 2018, beating the store clerk with a screwdriver and taking the cash register before fleeing.

Blount County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended Ward approximately an hour later after generous citizens put gas in his vehicle. The cash register was found in weeds near where Ward’s vehicle ran out of gas. The victim subsequently identified Ward as the perpetrator after a Hoover detective showed her a photographic lineup.

“We were able to prosecute these cases because of great investigative work by all the law enforcement agencies involved,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office quickly responded to the robbery scene, reviewed the security video and issued the alert to other agencies. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office recognized the vehicle and suspect as matching the robbery alert. The Hoover Police Department worked its case to develop an accurate description of the suspect.”

“We are pleased to take another dangerous individual off the street,” said SAC Sharp. “The cases that we pursue federally often start with dedicated efforts by local law enforcement, this case is an excellent example of law enforcement cooperation.”

The FBI investigated the case along with the Hoover Police Department, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Baty prosecuted the case.

Defendant: Albert Ward, III

Criminal Charges: Carjacking, use of a firearm during the carjacking, and an unrelated robbery of a business

City and State: Birmingham, Alabama

Exact Date: September 2020 (plea), December 6, 2018 (carjacking), December 8, 2018 (robbery)

Sentence or Outcome: 240 months in prison

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