District Man Indicted on 28 Federal Counts for String of Armed Carjackings and Robberies at Convenience Stores and Gas Stations

Press Release

Defendant Discharged Firearm During Two Armed Robberies; Faces 90 Years of Mandatory Prison Time Under Superseding Indictment

WASHINGTON - A 28-count superseding indictment, unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charges Shamell Naquan Joyner, 36, of the District of Columbia, with offenses arising out of ten armed robberies of commercial establishments and two armed carjackings that he allegedly committed between April 12 and May 2, 2023, in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. The charges build on a previous indictment in which Joyner was charged with six armed commercial robberies and one armed carjacking. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

According to the superseding indictment, on April 12, 2023, Joyner is alleged to have robbed the Falcon Fuel gas station and convenience store, located at 1301 13th Street Northwest, stealing money and personal property from the business and two employees while holding them at gunpoint. Joyner also is alleged to have discharged his firearm at two store employees during this robbery, neither of whom was wounded.

One day after the Falcon Fuel robbery, on April 13, 2023, Joyner is alleged to have carjacked a man at gunpoint in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. Joyner allegedly stole the man's Honda HR-V and drove it across state lines into Virginia. The government's evidence shows that Joyner used that car to commit subsequent armed robbery offenses, including an April 15, 2023, armed robbery of the 7-Eleven store at 1100 Vermont Avenue Northwest, in which an employee was held at gunpoint.

On April 17, 2023, Joyner is alleged to have robbed the 7-Eleven store at 3023 Duke Street in Alexandria, Virginia, and an employee at gunpoint. Joyner allegedly discharged his firearm during this robbery, causing a store employee to sustain a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his leg. The government's evidence connects this armed robbery to the April 12, 2023, robbery of Falcon Fuel, in which Joyner is also alleged to have discharged his firearm.

On April 30, 2023, Joyner is alleged to have robbed the 7-Eleven store at 7401 Georgia Avenue Northwest and an employee, again at gunpoint. Joyner allegedly robbed another two stores at gunpoint the next day, May 1, 2023, including the 7-Eleven store at 1325 2nd Street Northeast and the 721 Shop & Run and an employee at 721 H Street Northeast.

Finally, on May 2, 2023, Joyner is alleged to have robbed the 7-Eleven store at 1645 Connecticut Avenue Northwest and an employee; the 7-Eleven store at 8484 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland; the 7-Eleven store at 1101 Annapolis Road in Odenton, Maryland; and the Exxon Auto Service Center at 7898 Ridge Road in Hanover, Maryland. All the May 2, 2023, robberies were also committed at gunpoint. During the Exxon robbery, Joyner additionally is alleged to have carjacked an employee by holding him at gunpoint and robbing him of the keys to his nearby Toyota RAV4, which Joyner then stole and drove across state lines into the District of Columbia.

Later that day, in the 400 block of Condon Terrace Southeast, the Metropolitan Police Department found Joyner in the carjacked RAV4's driver's seat and arrested him without incident. At the time of his arrest, Joyner was in possession of the firearm used in the armed robberies committed between April 30, 2023, and May 2, 2023, as well as unique clothing and other evidence that tied him to numerous offenses.

Joyner has been detained since his May 2, 2023, arrest. The case is assigned to the Honorable Rudolph Contreras.

The superseding indictment charges Joyner with 28 counts: ten counts of interference with commerce by robbery (also known as Hobbs Act robbery), which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison; two counts of carjacking, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; 12 related counts of using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; two counts of interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and/or ammunition, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Under the superseding indictment, Joyner faces a mandatory minimum of 90 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering applicable sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office's Violent Crime Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department's Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance has been provided by the Office of the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland; the Office of the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland; the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Alexandria, Virginia; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Alexandria City, Anne Arundel County, Fairfax County, and Prince George's County Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Justin F. Song of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

The investigation into these offenses and potentially related armed robberies of commercial establishments located in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.<_o3a_p>

Updated August 8, 2024