Carjacking Victim Testifies About His Ordeal

By Amber Fienagha - April 8, 2025
Carjacking | Daily Stories | Victims |

A carjacking victim took the stand during an April 8 hearing in front of DC Superior Court Judge Deborah Israel and offered emotional testimony about being threatened at gunpoint during a 2024 scooter delivery in Southeast Washington.

Devonte Carter, 30, is charged with unarmed carjacking and possession of a firearm for an incident that occurred on July 10, 2024, on the 1400 block of Cedar Street SE.

According to prosecutors, the victim, who delivers for Uber Eats and DoorDash, had just completed a run and stopped to charge his cell phone when an SUV with three men inside approached. The victim testified that a man in the back seat pointed a gun at him, while another man exited the vehicle and demanded his scooter.

“The man with the gun never left the car,” the victim told the jury through a Spanish interpreter. “He pointed it at me and covered his face with one hand. I was nervous, I was afraid.” He added that he didn’t resist out of fear for his life.

The victim described the suspects as three Black men, with the individual who took the scooter being heavier set, taller than him, and wearing dreadlocks and white or gray shoes. He said the driver of the SUV shouted “quickly, quickly” throughout the encounter.

After the suspects fled, one on the scooter and the others in the SUV, the victim walked to a nearby fire station on 14th Street and called 911. During the call, which prosecutors played in court, he told the operator, “They hit me, they threw me to the ground.” When asked on the stand why he didn’t repeat that claim, he said he told the operator that he waded to ensure a faster police response.

He also testified that he used GPS tracking on his phone to help police locate his scooter. He later retrieved the vehicle with help from law enforcement but was told he could not keep it due to the ongoing investigation.

Defense attorney Gregg Baron challenged the credibility of the victim’s testimony, pointing to inconsistencies in his statements. Baron emphasized that the victim only saw one gun and that it remained inside the vehicle. He also asked whether the victim voluntarily stepped off the scooter before the alleged theft. The victim responded that he stopped to retrieve something from the vehicle just before the SUV arrived.

Baron also raised a prior accusation involving counterfeit scooter tags, which the victim  denied. When confronted with an English-language document related to the case, the victim said he didn’t recognize it, explaining that he had only reviewed a Spanish translation with his attorney. The defense said that the victim is seeking asylum in the United States.

The prosecution also called a data analyst who lives in the neighborhood of the incident to testify that police approached his home to request security footage from his front and back cameras. 

A patrol officer who responded to the incident testified that he saw a person on a scooter abandon the vehicle and jog toward a nearby building. He described the individual as a Black male with dreadlocks and a heavier build. The officer said he followed the suspect into the building and began asking residents if they had seen anyone enter.

“I highly advise that you don’t touch that scooter,” the patrol officer  recalled telling bystanders during his investigation. 

Judge Israel concluded the hearing by confirming that the trial would continue with testimony expected from a forensic DNA analyst, another civilian witness, and multiple law enforcement officials.

The trial is ongoing.