Savario Beshawn Champion Gets 147 Months for Armed Carjacking

Savario Beshawn Champion, 29, of Pensacola, is headed to federal prison for 147 months after pleading guilty to the armed carjacking of two Georgia men at gunpoint. The brutal robbery unfolded in July 2017 when Champion ambushed the victims outside a hotel in Escambia County, waving a black 9 millimeter pistol and demanding their BMW, cash, and phones.

Champion approached the parked vehicle and ordered the owner out at gunpoint. He screamed at both men to exit the car and hand over everything they had. They complied, fleeing into the hotel lobby and calling 911. The entire confrontation was captured on surveillance footage, showing Champion speeding off in the stolen luxury vehicle moments later.

By that morning’s end, Pensacola Police tracked Champion down less than ten miles from the crime scene. He was found behind the wheel of the stolen BMW and, during a search incident to arrest, officers recovered the black 9mm used in the carjacking. Ballistics later confirmed the firearm had been used in prior incidents.

Champion was charged with carjacking, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm — a triple threat that prosecutors didn’t let him walk from. On December 5, 2017, he pleaded guilty to all counts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case with zero tolerance.

The investigation was a joint operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The collaboration exemplifies the federal push under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), reignited in 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to combat surging violent crime across urban zones.

Christopher P. Canova, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, confirmed the sentence as a warning to violent offenders: “Point a gun, take a car, threaten lives — you’re going to federal prison.” Champion will serve over 12 years with no room for early parole. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to prioritize violent crime crackdowns across the district.