A 24-year-old woman from Denver has been handed a 20-year prison sentence following an armed carjacking spree that saw shots fired near multiple innocents, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado disclosed. Alexis Dicarlo, responsible for a series of attempted carjackings at a convenience store on East Hampden Avenue last year, was meted out the punishment after being apprehended at the scene adorned with five handguns. "Our office’s primary focus is to keep the citizens of Colorado safe," Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch said, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
Occurrences on February 27, 2023, escalated to threats at gunpoint and demands for wallets and vehicles, leaving Denver Police to rush to a call of criminal audacity. Dicarlo’s onslaught failed to materialize fully, with her unable to flee quickly, and two victims being shot at but narrowly escaping physical harm. However, one bullet managed to penetrate a neighboring establishment, thankfully not resulting in injuries. In the incident's wake, an officer involved in the pursuit sustained a broken leg.
The sentence was delivered by Judge Nina Y. Wang on August 21, concluding the efforts of the Denver Police Department and FBI Safe Streets Task Force in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman spearheaded the case analysis and subsequent legal proceedings. FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek hailed the sentence, saying, "Crime sprees like these strike fear into our communities and jeopardize the safety and security of innocent people," according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Michalek further praised the combined effort of law enforcement agencies in curbing acts of violence.
Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas also conveyed his approval of the sentence's severity, indicating the community's stance against such transgressions. "Let this be a warning to those who commit violent crimes in our community that we will leverage our federal partnerships, when appropriate, to achieve the greatest possible consequences for offenders," said Thomas as per the U.S. Department of Justice. This case forms part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative to drastically reduce violent crime and gun violence and to ensure that neighborhoods can remain safe for all residents.
