WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dennis Vanison, 31, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to charges of carjacking and carrying a pistol without a license, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith announced.
Vanison entered the guilty plea on August 13 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before Judge Robert A. Salerno. The sentencing has been scheduled for November 15. The carjacking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison.
During the plea hearing, Vanison admitted to carjacking a food delivery driver on May 2, 2023, with the help of an unidentified accomplice.
The victim had just completed a delivery on Wagner Street Southeast when the accomplice stole items from the victim’s vehicle. As the victim attempted to recover his belongings, Vanison and his accomplice assaulted him. The accomplice brandished a firearm and, under Vanison’s direction, took the victim’s car keys before the pair fled the scene.
Vanison was apprehended the following morning by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel, who found him inside an SUV near the victim’s car, which was parked and running in an alley.
Vanison’s cellphone and keychain were discovered inside the victim’s car, and a fully-loaded pistol was found at his feet inside the SUV. He has remained in custody since his arrest on May 3, 2023.
