An Illinois man was arraigned in federal court in St. Louis this Monday, facing serious charges stemming from a carjacking incident in September. The suspect, 20-year-old Harry Moore from Venice, Illinois, pleaded not guilty to one count of felony carjacking and another for possessing and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office release, the incident took place in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of St. Louis. Moore allegedly commandeered a 2022 Subaru Outback at gunpoint on Sept. 9, 2024.
The indictment asserts that Moore, while accompanied by two individuals in a stolen Cadillac CTS, coerced the victim into relinquishing his cellphone unlock code and the PIN to his ATM card. Subsequently, Moore purportedly used these to withdraw cash from a nearby gas station. Additional evidence suggests the accused was captured on video that morning at Ballpark Village's outskirts, shooting at an individual attempting to flee. These charges could lead to a considerable prison sentence, with the carjacking charge alone carrying a potential 15-year term and a fine of up to $250,000, as shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a widespread law enforcement initiative, includes this case in its efforts to curtail violent crime and gun-related offenses. The Department reinforced PSN in May 2021 by announcing strategies to build community trust, bolster preventive measures through community organization partnerships, and apply targeted enforcement while tracking outcomes, as per a Department announcement. PSN is focused on creating safer communities across the nation.
Joint investigations by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois brought Moore’s case to court, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin leading the prosecution efforts. The firearm brandishing charge Moore faces could result in a sentence ranging from seven years to life in prison, emphasizing the serious nature of these charges, the release states. Moore currently awaits further court proceedings as the accusations against him are pushed through the justice system.
