Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SAN FRANCISCO – Lafayette Davenport was sentenced today to 90 months in federal prison for carjacking a San Francisco AIDS Foundation vehicle in the Tenderloin in August 2023, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Senior U.S. District Judge William Alsup handed down the sentence.
Davenport, 30, of San Francisco, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2024, on charges of carjacking in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2119(1), brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1), and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Davenport pleaded guilty on Feb. 11, 2025, to all three counts.
According to the plea agreement and court documents, on the morning of Aug. 24, 2023, Davenport saw an employee of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation driving in the Tenderloin neighborhood in a vehicle marked with the nonprofit organization’s logos. As the victim driver completed a pickup of discarded needles and returned to the car, Davenport, wearing a ski mask, ran up to the victim and pointed a pistol at him, saying “Don’t make me shoot you” and “I swear I’ll shoot you right here.” Davenport stole the victim’s watch and car keys and drove the San Francisco AIDS Foundation vehicle several feet before fleeing on foot to a nearby apartment building.
On Feb. 22, 2024, San Francisco Police Department officers arrested Davenport in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Officers found Davenport with the ski mask and the loaded pistol that he had used during the carjacking. At the time of his arrest, Davenport was on probation and had been convicted of prior felonies, including second-degree burglary of automobiles while on parole.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Alsup also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release and ordered $500 in restitution.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara E. Henderson prosecuted the case with the assistance of Claudia Hyslop, Alycee Lane, and Janice Pagsanjan. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and San Francisco Police Department.