Jonathan Thompson, Gunpoint Carjacking, Maryland 2024

Baltimore streets ran cold the night Jonathan Thompson, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, leveled a loaded firearm at a woman sitting in her car at the intersection of Ednor and Lakeside Avenues. With no warning, Thompson ordered her out at gunpoint, stole her vehicle, and sped off — kicking off a violent crime spree that ended just minutes later with a police chase, a surrender, and a fugitive caught cowering behind a garbage can.

On April 25, 2019, U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow slammed the gavel, handing Thompson 16 years in federal prison without parole, followed by five years of supervised release. He was convicted of carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence — charges that carry zero tolerance under federal law. Thompson wasn’t just a suspect; he was a known felon on state probation for robbery with a deadly weapon, released from prison just over a year earlier in October 2017.

Wearing a GPS ankle monitor at the time of the hijacking, Thompson’s every move was tracked — and that digital trail sealed his fate. Data from the monitor confirmed his location during the crime, directly linking him to the scene. His accomplice, 25-year-old Dominique Chase, also of Baltimore, surrendered to police after switching seats in the stolen vehicle. Chase has since pleaded guilty and now faces up to 15 years in federal prison. Both remain locked up pending final sentencing.

The victim, shaken but unharmed physically, called 911 immediately. Officers from the Baltimore Police Department responded swiftly, locating the stolen car later that day. During the arrest, officers recovered the loaded handgun Thompson ditched as he fled — a critical piece of evidence that turned a chaotic incident into an open-and-shut federal prosecution. The firearm’s recovery underscored the immediate danger posed to the public.

“Jonathan Thompson used a gun to commit a carjacking and now faces the reality of 16 years spent in a federal prison with no suspended sentences and no parole — ever,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Local, state, and federal law enforcement will not tolerate this type of gun crime that terrorizes our streets. We are committed to identifying and prosecuting armed criminals to make our communities safer. To those who would do as this defendant did, I say, please put down the gun. You will save a life — maybe even your own.”

This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s flagship initiative to dismantle violent crime networks through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. PSN zeroes in on repeat and armed offenders, using data and partnerships to target those most likely to inflict harm. U.S. Attorney Hur praised the ATF’s Baltimore Field Division and the Baltimore Police Department for their relentless work, with special credit to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Anatoly Smolkin, who led the prosecution.”

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