Nashville Man Facing Federal Carjacking And Firearms Charges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – February 26, 2020 – Devan Javon Thompson, 31, of Madison, Tennessee, was charged yesterday in a criminal complaint, with carjacking; brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.

According to the complaint, on November 20, 2019, a woman and her 11 year-old child were shopping at Kroger on Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage, Tennessee when she became suspicious of a man, later identified as Thompson, following her in the store.  Thompson subsequently approached the woman and asked her what kind of car she had.  After refusing to tell him, Thompson displayed a handgun in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and demanded the keys to her vehicle.  The child was holding the keys and gave them to Thompson.  Thompson then held the gun to the child’s back and pushed him out of the store and into the parking lot.  He demanded the woman start her car and drive over the median while he dragged the child through the parking lot.  Thompson then entered the car and drove away.

An off-duty Metropolitan Nashville Police officer, who was in the Kroger parking lot and witnessed the incident, followed Thompson and notified the police department.  Thompson continued to flee and crashed the vehicle in a ravine near Lebanon Pike and Munn Road, where he was taken into custody after resisting and injuring an officer and a police K-9.

If convicted, Thompson faces up to 15 years in prison on the carjacking offense; up to 10 years in prison on the gun possession charge; plus an additional mandatory minimum of seven years for brandishing the firearm.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel M. Stephens is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

# # # # #