Jury Finds Maryland Man Guilty of Armed Carjacking of Delivery Driver

            WASHINGTON – Hahqwon Beale, 25, of Greenbelt, MD, was found guilty yesterday of armed carjacking and related firearm offenses following a jury trial in Superior Court. The offenses were committed in Northwest DC on May 7, 2018. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Beale was convicted of armed carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person with a prior felony conviction. Judge Anthony C. Epstein ordered that Beale be held without bond pending sentencing. Beale has been detained since his arrest on May 8, 2018. The sentencing date for the armed carjacking offenses is yet to be determined. Beale is also facing charges of first-degree murder while armed and related offenses for the murder of George Johnson, Jr., which was committed the same night as the May 7, 2018 carjacking. The homicide trial is scheduled to begin on June 10, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 7, 2018, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Beale and a female co-conspirator called a Pizza Boli’s restaurant to order food to be delivered to the 400 block of Farragut Street in Northwest DC. When the delivery driver arrived at the location, he walked to the trunk of his vehicle to retrieve the order. Beale approached the driver from behind, put a gun to the driver’s back, and demanded money. The driver gave Beale around $300 to $400 of cash from his pocket, which belonged to Pizza Boli’s. Beale and the co-conspirator then entered the victim’s vehicle and drove away. MPD officers located the stolen vehicle approximately 4.5 hours after the carjacking, with Beale and the co-conspirator asleep inside. Law enforcement officers took both suspects into custody. Following his arrest, Beale used a D.C. Jail phone to call an associate and arrange for a third person to retrieve and conceal the Glock 26 handgun that Beale had used to commit the carjacking. The firearm was recovered during a search warrant executed at the home of Beale’s co-conspirator. The co-conspirator previously pleaded guilty to robbery for her role in the charged crimes.

            This case is being investigated by MPD’s Homicide Branch. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Ganjei and Charles R. Jones.