Share this @internewscast.com
Press release from United States Attorney, Northern District of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 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 U.S. Attorney 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 feigned confusion about their path of travel and directed the Uber driver to pull into an apartment complex. 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 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, he attempted to forcibly eject her from the vehicle and ultimately struck her in the head with his firearm repeatedly. These blunt force strikes to the driver’s head 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, striking other vehicles in the process.
Civilian witnesses in the complex observed the struggle and 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 being driven from the scene by Givens-Moore. As he did so, Givens-Moore accelerated and eventually entered onto I-75 southbound, with multiple deputies giving chase. During the high-speed chase that ensued, Givens-Moore traveled at speeds in excess of 110 mph and drove in an incredibly reckless and dangerous manner as he attempted to elude law enforcement. Givens-Moore attempted to exit I-75 at the Micanopy exit, but lost control on the shoulder of the exit ramp. ACSO deputies arrived shortly after his vehicle became stuck and removed him from the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to recovery of the loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine.
“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.”
“This case is a direct result of the commitment by the FBI and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office to protect and keep our streets safe by identifying, investigating, and arresting violent criminals,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation adopted the case for federal prosecution and conducted additional investigation. Givens-Moore had multiple prior felony convictions, including two armed robbery convictions and an attempted robbery conviction from 2017. Givens-Moore had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections just three months prior to this carjacking, and he was still on supervision resulting from those convictions at the time of this offense. Givens-Moore also had additional prior felony convictions, including grand thefts of automobiles and burglary.
This 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.
