INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison in relation to a 2018 carjacking he committed while awaiting a federal trial for another attempted carjacking case and after signing paperwork warning him he would get up to 10 years added to his sentence if he committed a federal felony offense while on release.
Derrick Hart, 22, pleaded guilty to carjacking, discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and commission of federal felony while on pretrial release.
On December 13, 2018, a then 18-year-old Hart approached a man in a parked car on North Franklin Road in Lawrence and demanded money at gunpoint, according to court documents.
When the man told Hart he only had credit cards, Hart got in the passenger seat and ordered the man at gunpoint to drive to a Chase Bank ATM across the street.
Federal prosecutors say there was a Brinks armored truck servicing the ATM at the time, and the victim tried to get the driver’s attention by revving his car engine.
Hart told the man to drive to a different ATM, and a struggle ensued over the gun which then led to the victim crashing his car into a fence.
Both men got out of the car and shot at each other. Court documents show the victim had his own handgun. Hart was shot twice. The victim was shot once. Both men survived.
Police found Hart at a nearby apartment complex with a spare magazine loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition, several loose 9mm rounds, and a small amount of marijuana. A loaded handgun with blood on it was found under a bush at the apartment complex. The blood found on the handgun was linked to Hart through DNA analysis.
The Southern District of Indiana’s branch of the U.S. Department of Justice says Hart committed the carjacking and shooting while on federal pretrial release for an an attempted carjacking within 1,000 feet of a school zone. He was charged with that on September 26, 2018.
Before Hart was released from detention, he signed paperwork acknowledging that if he commits a federal felony offense while on pretrial release, he may be punished by up to 10 years additional in prison.
Prosecutors say Hart cut off his ankle monitor and absconded from pretrial release.
As part of Hart’s 17-year sentence, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon ordered that Hart be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.
