Ojahri Hart, 19, Sentenced in Armed Carjacking at NW DC Gas Station

A 19-year-old District man pointed a gun at a couple in the dead of night and stole their 2002 Cadillac DeVille at a gas station in Northwest Washington. Ojahri Hart was sentenced today to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the armed robbery, which unfolded just after 2 a.m. on May 20, 2016, in the 7000 block of Blair Road NW.

Hart admitted his role in the stickup during a September 2016 plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Juliet McKenna handed down a 72-month sentence but suspended all but 48 months, contingent on Hart completing three years of supervised probation upon release. The charge: armed robbery, a violent felony carrying heavy penalties under D.C. law.

According to prosecutors, Hart and an armed accomplice approached the victims as the male victim fueled the vehicle. The woman remained inside the Cadillac. With guns drawn, the pair seized control of the car and fled. The vehicle was recovered roughly 10 hours later just blocks away in the 100 block of Longfellow Street NW—within striking distance of Hart’s own home.

Inside the stolen car, investigators found evidence that sealed the case. Two purses—one from the cabin, one from the trunk—were missing. Forensic technicians lifted latent prints from the scene. The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences matched a palm print on the trunk and a fingerprint on the driver’s side door handle directly to Ojahri Hart.

No additional arrests have been made. Authorities say Hart’s accomplice remains at large, though the investigation remains open. The speed of the vehicle recovery and the proximity to Hart’s residence suggest a planned escape with a local endpoint. Despite the lapse of time, police emphasize that co-conspirators are still being pursued.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fourth District, whose officers responded to the scene and initiated the investigation. He also commended forensic analysts and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Romano, who led the prosecution. ‘Robbery at gunpoint shatters a community’s sense of safety,’ Phillips said. ‘Justice demands accountability—and today, that’s exactly what was delivered.’