Tadarrius Lawaun Smith, Armed Carjacking, Alabama 2024

A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to an armed carjacking that left a victim shaken and traumatized.

Tadarrius Lawaun Smith, 23, pleaded guilty to carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime. He entered his plea pursuant to a binding Plea Agreement with the government, in which the parties jointly recommended a sentence to include 189 months in prison.

According to the plea agreement, on December 4, 2019, Smith carjacked the victim as she was exiting her car in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the Southside area of Birmingham. Smith put a pistol with an extended magazine to her head and made her get back in the car.

Smith drove the car to an unknown location and held a pistol to her head and told her that he was going to kill her. He then assaulted her and demanded money. Smith drove her to three different ATMs withdrawing $860 and took her Mastercard because it had a high credit limit.

The victim was able to escape and call for help after driving several blocks down the street and parking her car. Birmingham PD investigators pulled video from the bank and gas station where Smith stopped during the incident. Birmingham Police officers arrested Smith when he arrived at the Jefferson County Courthouse for a probation hearing.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, along with the Birmingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Baty and Darius Greene are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the U.S. Attorney’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to keeping our communities safe from violent crime. This guilty plea is a significant step towards justice for the victim and a reminder that violent crime will not be tolerated in our city.

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