A 13-year-old girl may remain in jail until she turns 21 after pleading guilty on Thursday to the murder of an Uber Eats driver following a botched carjacking that led to a fatal road crash in March in Washington D.C.
The teenage girl fronted a virtual court hearing on Thursday where she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the March 23 death of Uber Eats driver Mohammad Anwar, 66. Other charges against her, which included armed carjacking, have been dismissed by the juvenile court judge.
She will re-appear in court for sentencing slated for July 6. If the maximum sentence is imposed, the 13-year-old will be released from prison when she turns 21, New York Daily News reported.
The court has heard that the younger assailant, along with her 15-year-old accomplice, savagely attacked the Pakistani immigrant on March 23 at around 4:30 p.m. They were attempting to steal the Honda Accord he used to make a living, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, when a loud crash rang out in the streets of Navy Yard near Nationals Park.
Appalling footage of the mugging filmed by a witness has since gone viral. It showed the moment Anwar frantically bellowed, "They're thieves! This is my car!" as the offenders moved to invade the car and get rid of him, People noted.
Following a commotion inside the vehicle, the suspects proceeded to taser Anwar, who then struggled to take control of the wheel. One of the assailants later grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger side before the Accord veered off the road, crashed, and rolled over, leaving the disoriented Anwar on the sidewalk with a severe head injury and broken bones, the video shows.
One of the teens then allegedly emerged from the overturned car as Anwar lay face down. The distressed female, who sustained minor injuries, was reportedly trying to locate her phone from the wreck.
The driver was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, the young assailants, whose identities have been withheld because they are minors, were arrested the same day of the fatal accident. They were slapped with charges of felony murder and armed carjacking with a taser by police.
On March 24, the teenage suspects made their first appearance in D.C. Superior Court via video link and pleaded "not involved" in juvenile court. About two months later in May, the 15-year-old female teen pleaded guilty to the murder of the Pakistani immigrant.
A GoFundMe page was set up following Anwar's death from an "appalling act of violence" to help defray his funeral costs. The page, which noted that he was the sole financial provider for his family, has since garnered over $1 million.
Meanwhile, in Illinois, an Uber driver and father of three died on Wednesday from gunshot wounds after a carjacking attack on Monday.
According to the Cicero Police Department, victim Joe Schelstraete, 38, was working Monday evening when he received a request to pick up passengers at 23rd Street and 55th Avenue in Chicago’s Cicero suburb when four carjackers held him at gunpoint to steal his blue Ford.
An altercation followed, as shown by ring doorbell footage obtained by the media. The video stopped right before Schelstraete was shot in the head, which left the victim brain dead. Schelstraete died two days after the incident on Wednesday at around 11:40 a.m.
Law enforcement has seized one of the four assailants as the others remain at large, according to Fox News.
An Uber spokeswoman has released a statement following a spate of incidents targeting their drivers, calling it a "senseless act of violence," as they offer their condolences to the bereaved families. The company has vowed to work with the police on their investigations.
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