News Releases

Suspect Carjacks Victims at Gunpoint during Social Media Vehicle Sale; Officers Locate and Arrest Suspect with MPD Assistance

For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 10, 2021

Detectives from the Major Crimes Division have charged Markeith Dwayne Jones, age 20, of Washington, D.C., with armed carjacking.  Jones carjacked two victims whose vehicle he had agreed to purchase from a social media ad.  Jones met the victims at a shopping center in Wheaton under the guise of completing the purchase.

On June 9 at approximately 10:23 p.m., 4th District officers responded to a shopping center in downtown Wheaton for a carjacking that had just occurred.  The two victims explained that they had placed their 2008 BMW 335i for sale on Facebook Marketplace and Jones had responded to the ad.  Jones and the victims agreed on a purchase price and agreed to meet in the shopping center to complete the transaction.  When the victims met Jones, he first asked questions about the vehicle and began to inspect it.  He then asked the victims to turn on the car.  Jones pointed a handgun at the victims and ordered them to move away from the vehicle.  He fled from the area in the stolen BMW.

At approximately 10:30 p.m., 3^rd District Special Assignment Team officers, operating unmarked police vehicles, located the stolen vehicle in Silver Spring.  As the vehicle headed toward the District of Columbia, MCP officers called for the assistance of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and MPD’s helicopter.  

Jones was arrested in Washington, D.C., after a foot pursuit.  As he ran, he threw a handgun in a trash can. That gun was recovered by MPD officers.

Jones is currently in the custody of MPD on firearm charges related to this incident.  He has been charged with the carjacking in Wheaton via a warrant.

MCP wants to remind residents that selling products online can be convenient, but can also be a welcome opportunity for suspects looking to commit crimes like fraud, theft, and robbery.  The Police Department has designated Exchange Zones for residents to complete online transactions at all six police stations.  More information on the Exchange Zones can be found by clicking here.

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Release ID: 21-227
Media Contact: Sergeant Rebecca Innocenti 
Categories: carjacking