In a hearing on April 9, a carjacking defendant entered a guilty plea before DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld.
Dartanian Owens, 21, was originally charged with armed carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and three counts of armed robbery for his involvement in a carjacking on April 6, 2025 on the 4300 block of Polk Street, NE.
Owens was also involved in three armed robberies on April 7, 2025 on the 2700 block of Naylor Road, SE, the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, and the 3800 block of South Capitol Street, SE.
Owens’ attorney, Albert Amissah, read the terms of a plea offer from the prosecution at the hearing. The plea required Owens to plead guilty to possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, unarmed carjacking, and robbery in exchange for the prosecution dismissing all other charges and reserving sentencing recommendations. Owens would also be required to register as a gun offender.
The prosecution presented their factual basis for the plea, saying that if the case had gone to trial, they would have been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Owens purposefully stole one victim’s vehicle after pointing a gun at him, and robbed three other victims of their belongings. The prosecution also stated in their factual basis that Owens was accompanied by an unidentified individual in robbing the fourth victim.
Judge Hertzfeld confirmed with Owens that he understood the terms of the plea and that the prosecution’s factual basis was accurate. After verifying that Owens was entering the plea voluntarily, Judge Hertzfeld accepted his guilty plea.
Parties are slated to reconvene on July 7 for sentencing.
