14-Year-Old Sentenced After Pleading Guilty To Murder Of Uber Eats Driver

The second teenage girl who previously pleaded guilty to a murder charge after causing the death of an Uber Eats driver after carjacking his vehicle in Washington, D.C. was sentenced this week to remain in the custody of the city’s youth rehabilitation agency until she turns 21.

Mohammad Anwar, 66, clung to his Honda Accord as it was being stolen by the 13- and 14-year old girls, who were armed with a stun device. During the March 23 theft, the teens hopped into his vehicle as he stood outside it near Nationals Stadium. He yelled, “They're thieves! This is my car!” as the teenager drove off with him still holding on, as is seen in the graphic video of the theft that went viral in the aftermath of the crime.

Anwar was eventually thrown from the Accord and the girls crashed the vehicle, flipping it on its side. The teens were arrested and charged with felony murder and armed carjacking (taser), police said. Anwar had broken bones and a head injury after the incident; he later died from his injuries at a local hospital. 

On Tuesday, the second girl involved in the incident, who was in the passenger seat, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz to remain in the custody of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services until she turns 21. Leibovitz rejected her defense’s motion that the girl be sent to DYRS until her 18th birthday.

“She made terrible choices,” Leibovitz said. “I’m very hopeful that the services of DYRS will help her.”

The other girl involved in the incident, who was in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in May. She was also sentenced to remain in DYRS custody until she is 21. This was the maximum sentence that they could face after their plea deal, which dismissed other charges. 

The girls have not been identified as they were charged as juveniles.

While the 15-year-old could have been tried as an adult under Washington, D.C.’s laws regarding the prosecution of juveniles, this was not the case for the 14-year-old passenger. The juvenile court is focused on rehabilitation over punishment.

“I never meant to do it,” the girl said in court on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. “I will change.”

Anwar’s family did not speak in court during the sentencing but did submit a written message to the judge. During the 15-year-old’s sentencing, his daughter spoke to the defendant about the impact of her crime. 

“You did not kill one person,” his daughter said. “You killed a whole family.”

Anwar, who lived in Springfield, Virginia, immigrated to the United States in 2014 “to build a better life for himself.”

Carjackings in the Washington, D.C. area have ballooned over the past two years, from 142 in 2019 to 342 in 2020, and dozens so far this year. In February, the city’s police force announced the formation of a new task force to combat the growing issue.