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Armed Carjacking Lands Winter Haven Man in Prison
MIAMI – In a disturbing case of armed carjacking, U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon has sentenced Artavis Spivey, 21, of Winter Haven, Florida, to 175 months in prison. Spivey and his accomplice, Daniel Zamot, 18, of Avon Park, Florida, were convicted of armed carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to the court record, the armed carjacking occurred on February 17, 2022, at approximately 12:37 p.m., at Highlands Advanced Rheumatology and Arthritis Center in Avon Park. The victim, identified as J.S., was sitting inside her 2018 Lincoln MKC when a man, later determined to be Spivey, approached her and demanded the keys to her vehicle. Spivey was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and threatened to shoot J.S. if she did not comply.
J.S. described Spivey as a black male with a slender build wearing sweatpants, a red or orange hooded jacket, and a facemask with holes for his eyes and mouth. A second man, later identified as Zamot, was standing at the rear of her vehicle during the robbery. Zamot was also wearing sweatpants, a red or orange hooded jacket, and a facemask with holes for his eyes and mouth.
Spivey and Zamot fled the scene in J.S.’s vehicle and were tracked by law enforcement. A vehicle pursuit ensued, during which the men drove through several yards and almost crashed into another vehicle. They ultimately crashed into a patch of bushes, and both men fled on foot before being apprehended a short time later. During the search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered two ski masks from behind the front passenger’s seat and a loaded black H&K 9mm semi-automatic firearm with an extended magazine between the driver’s seat and center console.
Spivey had been released from prison on separate felony convictions on January 30, 2022, just 18 days before he and Zamot committed the armed carjacking. Zamot, 18, received a 70-month prison sentence for his role in the crime.
The FBI, Fort Pierce Field Office, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, and Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuting it. U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez, acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt, Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman, and Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno made the announcement.
Spivey’s sentence includes enhancements for recklessness endangerment during flight and obstruction of justice. Zamot’s sentence was for the carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Case number 22-cr-14026 can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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