A D.C. jury has convicted a 23-year-old Maryland man of robbing and carjacking a 62-year-old Army veteran at gunpoint during a daytime meetup in Southeast Washington, bringing a violent 2024 encounter to a legal close in Superior Court.
On April 29, 2026, jurors in D.C. Superior Court found Miquel Beasley of Maryland guilty after hearing evidence that he pressed a handgun to the veteran’s head during a March 22, 2024 meeting, forced him out of his car and then drove off in the vehicle.
Beasley was convicted of one count of armed carjacking, one count of armed robbery, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The office reports he was indicted on Feb. 5, 2025, and that sentencing is scheduled for July 22, 2026, before the Honorable Errol Arthur. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Cook and Samuel Ison.
According to police accounts, the encounter unfolded around 3:15 p.m. on March 22, 2024, in the 3900 block of First Street SE, where the victim had met Beasley to purchase marijuana. The Metropolitan Police Department says Beasley got into the vehicle from the passenger side, pulled out a handgun, ordered the veteran to get out of the car, then fled in the stolen vehicle. Authorities arrested Beasley on Jan. 30, 2025, and say he has remained in custody since that arrest.
Part of a wider carjacking wave
The guilty verdict lands against the backdrop of a broader carjacking surge that has put pressure on law enforcement and prosecutors across the D.C. region. Reporting by The Washington Post has detailed how organized groups target vehicles, how cars are quickly resold or stripped, and how year over year carjacking numbers have climbed sharply.
What’s next for the case
Sentencing is set for July 22, 2026, with the U.S. Attorney's Office noting that the judge will determine the final punishment at that hearing. The office also states that the matter was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted in Superior Court.
The Metropolitan Police Department led the investigation, and prosecutors, in announcing the verdict, publicly praised investigators for their work in bringing the case to trial and securing a conviction. Officials say the outcome highlights ongoing enforcement efforts focused on armed carjackings in the city.
