CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - North Carolina, Western), published as received.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two armed carjackers were sentenced to prison today for firearms offenses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Joseph Jaream Stephens, 23, and Davon Omarion Long, 19, both of Charlotte, were each sentenced to seven years in prison and were ordered to serve five and three years, respectively, under court supervision upon completion of their prison terms.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on April 19, 2024, Long and Stephens approached a vehicle being fueled at the pump of a gas station located on W. Sugar Creek, in Charlotte. Armed with a handgun, Stephens approached from the rear driver’s side and confronted the driver, while Long approached the passenger side of the vehicle and pointed a handgun at two passengers. All three victims abandoned the vehicle and fled. After the victims fled Long got into the front passenger seat, and Stephens got into the driver’s seat. Stephens was unable to re-start the vehicle and both defendants fled on foot. Both men were apprehended across the street from the carjacking in a motel parking lot.
On February 14, 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. They remain in custody pending transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The ATF and CMPD handled the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
