Un'darius Dickerson, 24, is headed to federal prison for nine years after pleading guilty to an armed carjacking that prosecutors say unfolded in a Southaven parking lot and ended with his arrest in Memphis the very next day.
Federal authorities said Dickerson approached a woman in Southaven, Mississippi, on Nov. 19, 2024, pointed a rifle at her, and demanded her keys before driving away in her vehicle. According to prosecutors, he was caught the following day while still behind the wheel of the stolen car.
According to WREG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Dickerson told the victim, "you know what this is. Give me those keys," before taking off in the vehicle. The outlet reports that Dickerson later admitted the robbery, helped officers track down the rifle he had brandished, and was arrested by Southaven police after trying to run from a traffic stop.
Arrest and investigation
The federal case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with support from local law enforcement, and investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Memphis Police Department assisted in building the file against Dickerson.
Officials say the prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, a program that the Criminal Division describes as sending extra prosecutors and agents into cities such as Memphis to zero in on gun crime and carjackings. According to the Criminal Division, the initiative brings additional federal resources to districts hit hardest by violent offenses.
What the law says
Under federal law, carjacking is prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. § 2119, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison when no serious bodily injury is involved.
A separate statute, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), piles on mandatory additional time for using or brandishing a firearm during a violent crime, and brandishing alone triggers a seven‑year minimum that must be served on top of any sentence for the underlying offense.
Federal court decisions and Justice Department briefs outline how those statutes work in carjacking cases. The Supreme Court’s decision in Cornell Law School is one of the opinions that lays out the framework for federal carjacking prosecutions and firearm enhancements.
Dickerson, a 24‑year‑old from Jackson, Mississippi, has been ordered into federal custody to begin serving his sentence, according to court filings cited by WREG. Prosecutors and their law enforcement partners say the case highlights a continued federal push to go after violent offenders in the Mid‑South, the outlet reported.
