Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Three Armed Carjackings

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to committing three violent carjackings, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in Minneapolis on March 16, 2023, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Javon Thomas Wilson-Branch, 19, along with another individual approached two people who had just parked and exited a black Mercedes Benz SUV. Wilson-Branch pointed a Springfield Armory rifle at the victims and demanded they hand over everything they had. At gunpoint, the victims provided Wilson-Branch with the keys to the vehicle. Wilson-Branch got into the carjacked SUV and drove away.

The next day, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Wilson-Branch and another individual carjacked a blue Toyota Highlander at gunpoint in Minneapolis. Wilson-Branch and others pulled the carjacked SUV up next to the Highlander, and demanded the victim’s car keys at gunpoint. An AirTag inside the carjacked vehicle tracked the vehicle to Saint Paul, where it was left and abandoned at approximately 4:30 a.m., and Saint Paul police later recovered the carjacked vehicle.

About thirty-minutes later, at approximately 5:00 a.m., Wilson-Branch and another individual drove the carjacked SUV to Saint Paul and parked behind a black Audi A6. Shortly thereafter, when the owner approached the Audi A6, Wilson-Branch and the other individual exited the carjacked SUV armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Springfield Armory rifle. Both men pointed the firearms at the victim and forced him to give up his keys, wallet, and phone. The victim was also forced to unlock his cell phone, which was later used to make unauthorized money transfers from the victim’s bank account to Wilson-Branch and others. Wilson-Branch drove away in the carjacked Audi and the other individual drove away in the carjacked Mercedes Benz SUV. About 30 minutes later, officers with the St. Paul Police Department spotted the two carjacked vehicles in the area of Maryland Avenue and Western Avenue. Officers attempted a traffic stop but both vehicles fled police at a high rate of speed. Officers with the Woodbury Police Department later located the Audi A6 in a mall parking lot and apprehended Wilson-Branch in another building after a short chase. Two of the firearms used in the carjackings were located inside the Audi A6 along with the keys to the Toyota Highlander.

Wilson-Branch pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge David S. Doty to two counts of aiding and abetting carjacking, and admitted to aiding and abetting a third carjacking. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Saint Paul Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Woodbury Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.