Convicted Florida felon hit with 25 years for alleged armed carjacking

FLORIDA – A Miami man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison related to an alleged armed carjacking, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida has announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jonquayvias Davon Givens-Moore, 21, of Miami, Florida, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after he pled guilty to carjacking, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon following his guilty plea on March 8, 2022.

The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.

“The horrific beating and armed carjacking perpetrated by this recently released felon is beyond the pale and he is unquestionably deserving of the imposed sentence,” said Coody.

“Due to the valiant efforts of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this violent felon has been held accountable for his continued criminal conduct, and our community is safer as a result.”

Court documents reflect that on August 30, 2021, Givens-Moore requested a ride using the Uber rideshare app. The Uber driver responded, picked him up, then began proceeding towards his pre-set destination. Along the way, Givens-Moore reportedly feigned confusion about their path of travel and directed the Uber driver to pull into an apartment complex.

According to court documents, when the driver did so, Givens-Moore produced a Glock .40 caliber pistol, pointed it in the driver’s face, and climbed into the front passenger seat.

From that position, Givens-Moore allegedly demanded the vehicle and threatened to kill the driver if she did not give it to him. When the driver resisted and pleaded with Givens-Moore to not steal her vehicle, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he attempted to forcibly eject her from the vehicle and ultimately struck her in the head with his firearm repeatedly.

The blunt force strikes to the driver’s head reportedly caused significant injury and almost caused her to lose consciousness. Givens-Moore was eventually able to remove the driver from the vehicle and he fled from the apartment complex in the driver’s vehicle, reportedly striking other vehicles in the process.

Witnesses in the complex said they observed the struggle, called 911 to report the incident and provided aid to the driver. A responding deputy from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) quickly spotted the vehicle allegedly being driven from the scene by Givens-Moore.

As he did so, Givens-Moore reportedly accelerated and eventually entered onto I-75 southbound, with multiple deputies giving chase. During the high-speed chase that ensued, Givens-Moore reportedly traveled at speeds more than 110 mph and drove in a reckless and dangerous manner as he attempted to elude law enforcement.

Givens-Moore was arrested after he lost control of the vehicle and became stuck on the road shoulder. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the recovery of the loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine, deputies said.

“This case highlights the value of law enforcement and the community working together to hold violent criminals accountable as violent crime will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods,” said Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr.

“We will continue to work with all our law enforcement and judicial partners to ensure Alachua County remains a safe community.”

The sentencing resulted from the collaborative work of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Elsey.