Two individuals involved in an armed carjacking incident have been sentenced to seven years in prison for firearms offenses. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Joseph Jaream Stephens, 23, and Davon Omarion Long, 19, both residents of Charlotte, were also ordered to serve five and three years under court supervision following their prison terms.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in announcing the sentences.
Court documents reveal that on April 19, 2024, Stephens and Long approached a vehicle at a gas station on W. Sugar Creek in Charlotte. Armed with handguns, they confronted the driver and passengers who then fled the scene. Unable to restart the vehicle after entering it, Stephens and Long left on foot but were soon apprehended at a nearby motel parking lot.
On February 14, 2025, both defendants pleaded guilty to possession and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence. They remain in custody awaiting transfer to a federal facility.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and CMPD while the prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
