19-Year-Old Sentenced In Series Of Carjacking: Prosecutor

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A 19-year-old has been sentenced for his role in a series of armed carjackings involving six victims that happened between Oct. 3 and Oct. 8 in 2022.

The first incident unfolded Oct. 3 where a mother and daughter were carjacked at gunpoint by masked men at a store located in the 3300 block of N. Ridge Road in Ellicott City. Imari Smith, along with the other defendants, took that vehicle and used it to commit other carjackings throughout the week, according to prosecutors.

On Oct. 7, two women were carjacked at gunpoint, one at a gas station on Snowden River Parkway and the other at a convenience store. The following day, on Oct. 8, a delivery driver was carjacked at gunpoint at a restaurant on Snowden River Parkway and an elderly man was a victim at a nearby shopping outlet, according to court documents.

Smith tried to escape from the Howard County police in one of the stolen vehicles. He crashed the car into another parked vehicle and attempted to run. Police arrested him and a firearm was discovered in his possession. He has been sentenced to 50 years suspend all but 20 years. He pleaded guilty in June 2023 to three separate counts of armed carjacking and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, according to prosecutors.

According to the Howard County State's Attorney's Office, Smith has a history of violent behavior that includes prior juvenile arrests from Prince George’s County for armed carjacking. There are three other defendants involved in this case and their sentences are still pending.