D.C. Man Sentenced to Five Years for Armed Carjacking in Columbia Heights

WASHINGTON - Avery Ricardo Robinson III, 26, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in connection with an armed carjacking last year in Northwest, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"Robinson carjacked his victim for sport. He terrorized his victim at gunpoint, left his victim with a death threat ringing in his ears, and then abandoned his victim's stolen vehicle only a mile away," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "This office will continue to pursue serious sentences for defendants who treat their neighbors as prey."

Robinson pleaded guilty March 10, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan to one count of carjacking. In addition to the five-year prison term, Judge AliKhan ordered Robinson to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 72-month prison term.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2025, in the early morning hours, the victim parked a 2017 Nissan Altima near the 1400 block of Park Road NW. Robinson rode up on a bicycle, pulled a firearm from his waistband, and demanded the victim's possessions.

Robinson forced the victim at gunpoint to throw his cellphone to the ground, hand over the car keys, and remove a necklace from his own neck. Robinson then warned the victim he would shoot him if he saw him again. Left with no phone and no transportation, the victim walked away.

Robinson used the keys he had taken from the victim to get into the Nissan Altima and drive off. Police recovered the vehicle about a mile from the scene. Two days later, when Robinson was arrested, he was found in possession of a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber.

At the time of the carjacking, Robinson was on bench warrant status in connection with two separate cases involving stolen vehicles. He previously was convicted in 2025 of unlawful taking of a motor vehicle in Maryland.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caelainn Carney.

Surveillance cameras captured the carjacking on video. In this picture, Robinson holds a firearm in his right hand as he reaches towards his victim.

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