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Lindsey Robinson, 36, was sentenced to six years in prison this week after being convicted of attempted carjacking in Loudoun County Circuit Court, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from an attack on Jan. 14, 2023, when Robinson was picked up by a rideshare driver at the airport's arrivals area.
As they began to drive away, Robinson demanded the driver’s phone and vehicle before punching him multiple times in the head from the backseat, according to the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
The driver pulled over and tried to escape, but Robinson continued the assault, striking him several more times. The victim ultimately ran across the highway through traffic, taking his key fob with him.
Robinson jumped into the driver’s seat and tried to steal the car, but was unable to operate the vehicle without the fob, prosecutors said. Frustrated, he kicked the car multiple times before fleeing the scene on foot, prosecutors said.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police detectives later identified Robinson as the suspect.
By the time arrest warrants were issued, he was already in custody at the United States Penitentiary in Pennington Gap, Virginia, on unrelated charges.
During sentencing, prosecutors argued that Robinson’s violent criminal history and the impact on the victim warranted a harsher sentence than state guidelines recommended.
“The victim was just trying to make a living the night this occurred ... instead, (Robinson) took so much from him ... his sense of safety, his sense of confidence, he took his ability to earn a living,” Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eden Holmes said in court.
Judge Robert J. Smith ultimately exceeded sentencing guidelines, imposing the maximum penalty of ten years, suspending four years, and requiring Robinson to serve four years of probation upon his release.
He was also ordered to pay $2,482 in restitution to the victim and a $1,000 fine.
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