A 20-year-old Washington D.C. man was arrested in Old Town earlier this month for carjacking an Uber driver and her customer.
Raphael G. Snead, Jr. was arrested at his grandmother’s house on March 3 by Alexandria Police in the 700 block of North Fayette Street. He was transferred on March 8 to Montgomery County, where he is currently being held without bond.
Snead is suspected of two carjackings — the first occurring on Feb. 7 at around 6:30 p.m. in the 8100 block of Fenton Street in Silver Spring. Snead allegedly pulled a gun on the victim in a parking lot, punched him in the jaw and drove away in his Honda CRV, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Three days later, on Feb. 10, a license plate reader alerted the Washington Metropolitan Police (MPD) of the stolen Honda, and MPD attempted to conduct a felony stop. Police pursued the suspect, who wrecked the car and fled on foot.
“The suspect ran to a 2014 Toyota Rav 4,” police said in the affidavit. “The vehicle was operating as an Uber and was occupied by a driver and a customer who was seated in the back seat and parked on Branch Avenue. The suspect jumped into the front passenger seat and began yelling at the driver to drive and forced the driver to get out of the car by punching her in the face several times with a closed fist. The suspect pushed the driver out of the vehicle and the back seat passenger was able to escape.”
The Uber driver later positively identified Snead in a nine-person photo lineup, police said in the affidavit.
Snead, who goes to court April 1, was charged with:
- Armed robbery
- Armed carjacking
- First and second-degree assault
- Reckless endangerment
- Handgun on person
- Handgun in vehicle
- Firearm use
