Attempted Armed Sam's Club Car Jacking Earns Cumming Man 10 Years

ATLANTA, GA — Two men have been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to commit an armed carjacking in a busy Sam’s Club parking lot in Chamblee, in 2017.

Arsalan Khalid Khan, 27, of Cumming, and Patrick Davis Gegenheimer, 24, of Atlanta, were each sentenced to prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. The men were convicted of these charges March 19, after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting each other in using a firearm to commit a violent crime.

“Khan and Gegenheimer showed no regard for life when they brazenly attempted to carjack an innocent shopper,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “These criminals will no longer threaten the safety of our citizens, but will now serve lengthy prison sentences that reflect the serious and violent nature of their crimes.”

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“This case is the product of a concerted collaborative effort on the part of ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Chamblee Police Department to identify, investigate, and prosecute the perpetrators of this violent crime.” said Special Agent in Charge Arthur Peralta. “Khan andGegenheimer chose to commit this act and use a gun. These sentences ensure that they will not have an opportunity to terrorize anyone for a long time.”

“We want to thank our partner law enforcement agencies for their efforts that resulted in the removal of two dangerous individuals from society,” said Chamblee Police Chief Donny Williams. “The reckless disregard for the safety of innocent bystanders demonstrated the necessity of a severe penalty in this instance. I am proud of the quick response of our officers on the street. They didn’t give up searching for these dangerous individuals when it appeared they had gotten away, and that made the difference.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: On September 1, 2017, Khan and Gegenheimer approached a shopper as he was loading goods into his minivan in the parking lot of a Sam’s Club in Chamblee, Georgia. Khan aimed a pistol at the shopper and demanded his car keys. After the shopper complied, Khan ordered the victim to get into the minivan. At that point, the shopper grabbed the pistol and wrestled it away from Khan. The pistol discharged during the struggle, injuring Khan’s hand. Khan and Gegenheimer then fled the parking lot, however, Chamblee police officers found and arrested the defendants a few minutes later.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Chamblee Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Traynor prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In keeping with the Attorney General’s mission to reduce violent crime, the Northern District of Georgia’s PSN program focuses on prosecuting those individuals who most significantly drive violence in our communities, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, and local community leaders to prevent and deter future criminal conduct.

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