Carjacking Trial Begins with Conflicting Narratives

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The victim in an armed carjacking case testified before DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur on Oct. 1 that one of the co-defendants was trying to help him.

Gregory Patterson, 41, and Jimmy Johnson, 43, are charged with armed carjacking, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and robbery while armed for their alleged involvement in a carjacking incident that occurred on the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue, NE on July 11, 2023.

Patterson is also charged with armed robbery in connection to the incident.

Johnson also faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. The additional charges stem from his alleged possession of the items during his arrest on March 28 on the 4000 block of Ponds Street, NE.

During trial Tuesday, prosecutors called on the victim, who provided an in-court identification of Patterson as one of the individuals who attacked him and attempted to carjack his vehicle during the incident. However, the victim testified Johnson was not one of the assailants and was attempting to stop the group from ambushing him.

“Any time I heard Johnson’s voice, he was helping me,” the victim told the jury. Surveillance footage presented in court also showed Johnson assisting the victim. The footage showed him assisting the victim back to his car and having conversations with the attackers, allegedly telling them to leave the victim alone.

The victim testified that Johnson said, “He’s not going like that, respect my bro,” implying that the victim would die fighting rather than give in.

The victim also clarified earlier claims that Johnson was telling the assailants what to do to the victim, saying, “It wasn’t him that said that” and “It wasn’t his voice.”

The victim expressed fear of retaliation, saying, “I worry now about going to visit my daughter in that neighborhood because I fear possible retaliation due to this trial.”

He also said he gave the car to his son and quit his job as a professional model because he no longer felt safe.

As counsel began the trial, the defense focused on Johnson’s actions during the incident, saying “Johnson didn’t rob, didn’t carjack, and didn’t have a gun” at the time of the crime. McCoy argued that Johnson was trying to help the victim.

However, the prosecution argued that there were four suspects who attempted to carjack and attack the victim. Initially, it was an individual identified as Patterson and two masked individuals who confronted the victim and were seen in surveillance footage.

The prosecutor showed a video of the event, saying a gun was pointed at the victim as the assailants demanded his jewelry. According to the prosecutor, the individual, identified as Patterson, punched the victim, who was missing an arm.

The individual, identified as Johnson, was seen arriving on the scene as the group of men attacked the victim, said the prosecutor. The prosecution insisted that he was involved and guided the assailants on what to do.

The attempted carjacking was unsuccessful, but the victim’s ring and necklaces were stolen.

According to the prosecutor, the jury will be able to convict the defendants based on footage and images of the victim’s injuries.

Alvin Thomas, Patterson’s attorney, told the jury Patterson didn’t have a gun, did not rob the victim, and did not try to steal his car. Thomas argued that the masked individuals were responsible for that, claiming that Patterson and Johnson tried to stop the masked individuals from stealing the car.

The trial is set to continue on Oct. 2.