A New Orleans man has pled guilty to carjacking and a federal firearm charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced. Mervin Amacker, Jr., 43, faced two counts of federal charges stemming from a March 2023 incident involving a hijacked bus ride that ended at a hospital. According to the Department of Justice, Amacker could receive up to 15 years of imprisonment for each charge, along with the possibility of a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee.
The event unfolded on a New Orleans Regional Transit Authority bus, where Amacker, aboard on Hayne Boulevard and Lacombe Street, made his criminal move near the intersection of Curran Boulevard and Vincent Road. Threatening the bus driver with a firearm, he demanded to be taken to the hospital after revealing he suffered from a gunshot wound. With submission to his demands by the driver, who started driving at a high rate of speed, disregarding traffic signals, Amacker was later found by hospital security to possess a loaded 9mm Ruger pistol.
The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative aiming to reduce violent crimes and gun violence. This program seeks to foster trust within the community, support organizations that help prevent violence, and establish focused enforcement strategies. As stated in the DOJ release, "The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results."
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. The Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins, of the Violent Crime Unit, is the lead prosecutor on the case. While Amacker's sentencing is not set until October 14, the guilty plea signals a close to this chapter of crime in New Orleans East.
