A D.C. man was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release after he attempted to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint. The person inside the unmarked vehicle was a deputy U.S. Marshal on protective detail near the residence of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) wrote in a July 5, 2024, statement that at approximately 1:15 a.m., a suspect—now identified as Kentrell Flowers—approached one of the Marshals and pointed a handgun at him “in an apparent attempt to carjack him.” At that point, the Marshal drew his service weapon and fired four shots, one of which struck Flowers in the mouth.
Authorities recovered a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson with 8 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in a 13-round capacity magazine from the scene of an attempted carjacking that targeted Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail, the police complaint said. Sotomayor was not involved in the incident. (DC Metropolitan Police | Getty Images)
HOUSE STAFFER VICTIM OF ARMED CARJACKING IN POPULAR WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), “Flowers fell to the ground” after being shot, at which point one unknown accomplice drove away in a silver minivan while another unknown accomplice fled the scene on foot.
There is no indication Justice Sotomayor was in her home at the time, or in any danger.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justices (L-R) Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh stand on the House floor. (Getty Images)
CALIFORNIA MAN ANGRY ABOUT ABORTION, GUN RIGHTS CASES PLEADS GUILTY TO TRYING TO KILL JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH
Security for U.S. Supreme Court justices was expanded after the 2022 assassination attempt against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Following the leak of the controversial Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Nicholas Roske flew from California to D.C. with a firearm and ammunition in his suitcase, intending to target Kavanaugh. However, Roske eventually called the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center and said he was experiencing suicidal and homicidal thoughts, according to the DOJ.
Carjackings have plagued Washington, D.C., for years, leading to the establishment of the Carjacking Taskforce in Jan. 2021. The taskforce was expanded the following year. In Feb. 2022, MPD began working with the Maryland-based Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) to combat carjackings.
A photo of a law enforcement vehicle for the DC Police Department. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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So far this year, MPD has recorded 121 carjackings, the vast majority of which—95 incidents (79%)—involved guns. While still high, these numbers represent a decrease in carjacking rates. In 2024, during the same period, D.C. saw 198 carjackings, 136 of which involved firearms. However, the number of arrests remains about the same, with MPD showing 61 arrests in 2024 versus 64 in 2025.
MPD advises anyone who is threatened by an armed potential carjacker to give up their car and not argue with the assailant.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
