Dashcam shows suspect crashed during a high-speed police pursuit on I-270 after an armed carjacking

A 19-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison with all but 13 years suspended following two armed carjackings in Montgomery County last fall, according to court documents.

Zyier Brown, of D.C. pleaded guilty to multiple offenses earlier this year alongside his co-defendant, Victor Noel, 17, of Upper Marlboro. On Sept. 28, Noel was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 11 years suspended.

On Oct. 25, 2022, an Uber driver was carjacked at gunpoint along the 15000 block of Shady Grove Road in Rockville.

Then, on Nov. 14, 2022, a man driving a Toyota Corolla along the 7800 block of Guildberry Court in Gaithersburg was carjacked at gunpoint. Immediately afterward, officials said Brown and Noel crashed the Corolla following a high-speed police pursuit on Interstate 270. The Corolla flipped and was totaled in the crash, officials said.

Noel was 16 years old at the time, but was charged and convicted as an adult. Brown was 18 years old at the time of the crimes. According to court documents, he also purchased, built, and brought the "ghost guns" used in the Nov. 14-armed carjackings, and was the driver in the police pursuit.

A third co-defendant, Jayla Newman, 19, of Washington, D.C., who was present for the second carjacking but did not touch or threaten the victim and was not armed, was sentenced Tuesday to 331 days of time served plus three years of supervised probation.

“This comes at a time when we have growing concern about the rising number of auto thefts and carjackings committed by young adults and juveniles in our community. We thank Judge Smith for fashioning appropriate sentences in this matter, to help discourage this type of activity,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.