NORFOLK, Va. — A 22-year-old man accused of an armed robbery and carjacking during the summer of 2022 was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday, according to the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney.
In a release on Wednesday, prosecutors said Brian Spears' charges stem from an incident on August 20, 2022 where the 22-year-old and three accomplices robbed multiple people in the Norfolk area.
On the morning of August 20, 2022, the group held a driver at gunpoint and stole items from the vehicle, along with the victim's keys and Apple AirPods. The accused robbers fled the scene.
That same day, the group of robbers tried to steal a truck near Norview Avenue but were thwarted by the owner.
Driving further up the street, the group found a Hyundai Tucson running outside a home on Giles Circle. When one of Spears' accomplices sat down in the Tucson's driver seat, the owner, a woman, tried to stop him, but officials said he punched her, knocking her to the ground. As he was driving away, the man struck the woman with the Tucson and eventually rammed into a parked vehicle.
The man fled the crash and met up with Spears a few streets over.
Using the location pings from the AirPods stolen from the first carjacking victim, detectives found Spears and his accomplices at a restaurant in Virginia Beach. Police attempted to pull Spears over, but a high-speed chase ensued along the Virginia Beach and Norfolk border. When officers ultimately arrested him, they found two loaded, semi-automatic pistols inside a backpack he was carrying.
Spears previously pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an unrelated August 2021 incident, but a judge deferred a finding of guilt, allowing Spears to avoid felony convictions on the condition of good behavior and comply with probation requirements. His crimes that following summer, however, led a judge to find him guilty of those initial 2021 charges.
"In 2021, Mr. Spears was 20 years old and got a second chance to avoid being a convicted felon and to get his life in order," said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. "Rather than take that second chance, Mr. Spears chose to commit new crimes, and now he must serve his sentence."
