Jamar Jarvis, 3 Others Indicted in Chicago Carjacking at Gunpoint

Chicago’s streets turned into a crime scene early Oct. 18, 2018, when JAMAR JARVIS, 18, RAYNELL LANFORD, 19, and JAMAAL ASHSAHEED, 19—all of Chicago—yanked a driver from a Lexus SUV at gunpoint in the Edgewater neighborhood. The violent act wasn’t just a local offense—it’s now a federal case after a grand jury indicted the trio on charges of carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

The fourth defendant, JAVION BUSH, 19, of Chicago, didn’t join the initial heist but allegedly helped the others afterward, sealing his role as an accessory after-the-fact. According to the federal indictment, the three gunmen forced the victim out of the luxury vehicle before fleeing in it, later arriving at a gas station in the South Loop. There, they filled up the SUV and bought a gas can—actions caught on surveillance and later used by law enforcement to track them down.

Chicago Police Department officers moved in swiftly, arresting JARVIS, LANFORD, and ASHSAHEED at the gas station. BUSH was taken into custody separately. All four remain in law enforcement custody as federal prosecutors build their case. Arraignments in U.S. District Court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.

The indictment doesn’t stop at the successful carjacking. It also accuses JARVIS, LANFORD, and ASHSAHEED of conspiring to commit an attempted carjacking the night before—Oct. 17, 2018—in the Uptown neighborhood. LANFORD allegedly flashed a firearm while trying to steal an Acura sedan, but the attempt failed. That charge adds conspiracy to the list, which carries up to five years in prison.

Potential sentences are severe. Using, carrying, or brandishing a firearm during a carjacking carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Carjacking and attempted carjacking each carry up to 15 years behind bars. BUSH, as an accessory after-the-fact, faces up to seven and a half years. The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, alongside top FBI and CPD officials. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albert Berry III and Shy Jackson, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yvette Loizon and Maureen McCurry.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation. But make no mistake—no convictions yet. The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. When trial comes, the weight of the federal system will rest on the shoulders of four young men accused of turning Chicago’s streets into their personal war zone.