Trial Continues; Prosecutors Say Teen Was Part of Carjacking Crew

Day two in the trial of a Baltimore teen accused of being part of an armed carjacking crew saw four more victims testify about being robbed at gunpoint.

A man on a date. A defense contractor employee. An auto mechanic. A man on the phone dealing with a family emergency. Each took the stand Wednesday to tell jurors about their encounters in November 2022 with the group of juveniles—often masked and always armed—who ambushed victims at night, demanding money and often stealing their cars.

The defendant, who was 14 at the time of his arrest, is also accused of sexually assaulting one of the victims. He is charged in adult court.

**Because his name continues to be shielded on the public docket, the Baltimore County Courtroom Observer is withholding his full name and will identify him only as C.M.**

The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office with Assistant Attorneys General Nancy Frigo and Mark Meehan and is part of a wide-ranging investigation by a joint city, county, state, and federal task force.

Prosecutors have presented fingerprint evidence and video surveillance footage they say links the teen to the crimes.

**Victim Testifies About Kidnapping, Robbery**

One victim testified Wednesday he was sitting in his car in front of his mother’s house on the 4900 block of Lanier Avenue in Baltimore City on the night of Nov. 9, 2022, when two cars drove up and boxed him in.

He said he had a pistol in the console of his car but was unable to reach it in time to defend himself. The gunmen tried to force him into the trunk of his car.

“I told them I’m too tall. I’m not getting in the trunk,” he said. Instead, he said he was told to get into one of the other cars with his kidnappers.

As they drove around, the victim said he tried to connect with the teen who seemed to be the oldest and “have some sense,” learning through conversation that the attacker was 19 and had children.

“I was trying to talk to him… saying, ‘Hey, man, y’all are making a bad decision,’” he said. A U.S. Navy veteran, he even offered to take the teen to speak with a military recruiter.

The group took him to an ATM on the 4600 block of Liberty Heights Avenue, where he withdrew as much money as he could before a fraud alert appeared on the screen. They ultimately took his 2012 Honda Civic, phone, wallet, Louis Vuitton belt, two pairs of shoes, and lawfully registered handgun. The teens also sent themselves payments of about $800 from his CashApp account.

**Silver Spring Man Describes Hours-Long Ordeal**

A Silver Spring man told jurors he was out on a date on Nov. 9, 2022, with a woman he had met through Instagram. The two went to a movie theater in Beltsville, Md., and afterward had sex in the back of his car, he said. As the night was winding down, they parked outside her family’s house on Brohawn Avenue in Baltimore City to watch a TV show.

Just as the show was ending, at least two masked gunmen approached the car from both sides.

The group put the female victim in a different car and then placed him in the backseat of his own car, he said. They covered his face and threatened to shoot him if he looked at them.

The attackers took the man to a bank ATM and withdrew several hundred dollars from his accounts.

After the hours-long ordeal, he said the attackers dropped him off in a wooded area, where his date was also dropped off separately. The two eventually found help from a resident in the area.

Prosecutors believe C.M. sexually assaulted the woman. In opening statements Tuesday, Mark Meehan told jurors the woman left her underwear in the car providing evidence for investigators.

Testimony is expected to resume today.