BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge on today sentenced a Birmingham man for carjacking,  announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.

U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon sentenced Tadarrius Lawaun Smith, 23, to 189 months  in prison for carjacking and for brandishing a firearm during the carjacking.  Smith pleaded guilty to the charges in July.

“The fear that Smith imposed on this innocent victim is unimaginable,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “Because of the hard work of the Birmingham Police Department and the ATF, this offender has been brought to justice.”

According to the plea agreement, on December 4, 2019, Smith carjacked the victim as she was exiting her car in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the Southside area of Birmingham.  Smith put a pistol with an extended magazine to her head and made her get back in the car.  Smith drove the car to an unknown location and held a pistol to her head and told her that he was going to kill her.  He then assaulted her and demanded money.  Smith drove her to three different ATMs, withdrawing $860, and took her Mastercard because it had a high credit limit. Smith then drove to the 900 block of 1st Avenue South, got out of the car, and walked away. The victim drove several blocks down the street, parked, and called her daughter, who called police.  Birmingham Police investigators pulled video from the bank and a gas station where Smith stopped during the incident.  Birmingham Police officers arrested Smith several days later when he arrived at the Jefferson County Courthouse for a probation hearing.

The ATF investigated the cases, along with the Birmingham Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Baty and Darius Greene prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.