Old Dominion News

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced to 250 months in prison for multiple carjackings and for using a firearm while committing the carjackings. This case is the product of Operation Ceasefire's focus on violent gun crimes.

"This nearly 21-year sentence reflects the tireless work done by my office's prosecution team under the mission of Operation Ceasefire, a public safety initiative combating violent gun crime in Virginia," said Attorney General Miyares. "We remain steadfast in our mission to combat, prevent, and prosecute violent gun crime in our communities."

According to court documents, on November 3, 2020, in Chesapeake, Bryant Marcus Wilkerson, 30, approached an individual who was sitting in the driver seat of their vehicle. Wilkerson told the driver of the vehicle to get out of the car or he would shoot the driver. Before the driver could close the door, Wilkerson stood in between the door and the driver’s seat and once again told the driver that he would shoot the driver if he did not get out of the vehicle. Wilkerson then produced a firearm and hit the driver in the face with it. The driver then got out of the vehicle and Wilkerson drove it away. The vehicle was found abandoned the next day.

On November 9, 2020, Wilkerson approached another individual who was sitting in the driver seat of their vehicle in Currituck, North Carolina. Wilkerson opened the passenger side door, pointed a firearm at the driver, and ordered the driver to get out of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle, but Wilkerson was unable to start the car because the driver still had the key fob. Wilkerson then got into another vehicle that was unoccupied with the engine running and fled the scene. Deputies from the Currituck County Police Department attempted to stop Wilkerson, but he led them on a high-speed chase where Wilkerson drove into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed and ran other vehicles off the road.

Wilkerson later exited that vehicle and, after a foot pursuit, jumped on the hood of another vehicle, pointed a firearm at the driver, and told the driver to get out. Wilkerson then fired a shot into the dash and pointed the firearm at the driver again. The driver got out of the vehicle and Wilkerson drove it away. Wilkerson led law enforcement officers on another high-speed chase, this time traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour while driving in the wrong direction on an expressway. Law enforcement officers were able to flatten Wilkerson’s tires using spike strips, which forced him to finally stop. Wilkerson fled on foot again, robbed another citizen, and ultimately broke into yet another locked vehicle. Officers found Wilkerson hiding in the vehicle with a firearm and took him into custody.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jason Miyares, Virginia Attorney General; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Mark Talbot, Chief of Norfolk Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Significant assistance was provided by the Currituck County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Cheney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc West, a Ceasefire prosecutor for Attorney General Jason Miyares, prosecuted the case.

Original source can be found here.