PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 19-year-old has been charged in connection with a violent carjacking in West Philadelphia earlier this year.
It happened on April 4 as a man was dropping off his girlfriend.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania says a masked Xavier Peterson held the couple at gunpoint as the boyfriend was parking his Subaru CrossTrek, forced them out of the car, then hopped in and sped off.
About an hour after the carjacking, a police officer in Haverford saw the stolen car speeding on West Chester Pike towards the Blue Route and later pulled it over on I-476. Court filings show Peterson fled, but three passengers remained in the vehicle.
Officials say Peterson was found five minutes later by officers hiding in the underbrush next to the highway. A loaded semi-automatic handgun was also found lying nearby.
He’s charged with carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
If convicted, Peterson faces a minimum of seven years, but a maximum of life in prison.