ST. LOUIS — On Wednesday, a woman and man were charged and accused of stealing two cars in St. Louis at gunpoint last May.
According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming of the Eastern District of Missouri, 48-year-old Jermaine Smith from St. Louis, and 27-year-old Bianka North from Illinois, were each charged with two counts of carjackings and two counts of possession of a firearm in “furtherance of crime of violence.”
Smith and North are accused of stealing a 2006 Pontiac G6 at gunpoint on May 14, 2022, and a 2009 Toyota Scion the next day, according to the indictment.
The pair faked a break-down car scenario in North Riverfront Park to grab the attention of the G6 car owner, according to a criminal complaint. The female carjacker then pointed a gun at the victim and stole the car.
The next day, the duo used the G6 in the carjacking of a Scion, which was stolen in the 1600 block of S. 9th Street near Soulard Park, according to the criminal complaint. The victim's phone was also stolen and Smith tried to transfer money to himself via Cash App.
Surveillance video at the apartment complex where Smith lived showed someone matching Smith’s description getting in and out of the Scion and the G6, according to the complaint.
The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the release. The gun charge carries a mandatory minimum of seven more years in prison.
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