WASHINGTON — Authorities say an 18-year-old man committed a series of carjackings in D.C. and Maryland, and used a parking garage to meet with people to sell the stolen cars. The U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. filed an 18-count indictment in court Tuesday charging Cedae Hardy with six separate carjackings, and an attempted carjacking where he shot someone twice.
According to the indictment, Hardy carjacked several people at gunpoint in D.C. and Maryland. In four cases, he worked with unnamed co-conspirators to drive the stolen cars to an apartment complex parking garage on Florida Avenue Northwest to try to sell the carjacked vehicles.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says a co-conspirator would contact potential buyers. In these cases, those buyers were undercover officers. Hardy and the other unnamed people would meet at the garage, or another location, to complete the sale of the vehicles and split the proceeds.
Hardy sent text messages to other people in his crew, according to the indictment. For example, on April 8, he sent texts saying, "I'm boutta get sum & bring it straight to you," and "I'm outside now you can be on your way. Let's get money my boy."
A few hours later, just 22 minutes after an armed carjacking of a Mercedes Benz SL550 in Hyattsville, Maryland, Hardy arrived at the Florida Avenue Garage where two co-conspirators were waiting to open the garage. The indictment says the Mercedes was sold two days later to undercover officers for $1,200.
The next week, on April 18, the indictment says Hardy tried to carjack a man at gunpoint and take his Honda Civic. The driver could not understand Hardy and tried to push him out of the car. That's when Hardy shot the man in the forearm and abdomen. Hardy did not get away with the Civic.
Carjacking carries a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Transportation of stolen goods and sale or receipt of stolen vehicles each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Meanwhile, gun charges carry a minimum sentence of seven years. A sentencing date has not been set.
This is not Hardy's first brush with the law when it comes to carjackings. Months before the crimes mentioned in the indictment, Hardy was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police.
Back in January, officers recognized a car driven by Hardy as one that had been reported stolen out of Prince George's County. Police tried to make a traffic stop, but the driver sped off.
Detectives say the driver ended up clipping a patrol car along First Street, then it crashed into another patrol car along the 300 block of Third Street, Southeast.
Hardy and the passenger got out of the car, ran and tried to hide in an outdoor freezer behind a restaurant along Pennsylvania Avenue, Southeast, where they were caught by officers.
Carjackings continue to be an ongoing problem in D.C. An attempted carjacking was caught on camera in. Monday, and now, police are searching for the suspects.