Man Sentenced to 15 Years Following Jury Conviction for Violent Carjacking, Armed Robbery Committed with Fellow Gang Members in 2022

NORFOLK, Va. — Hassan Abdul Johnson Jr., 22, was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him earlier this year of carjacking, armed robbery, using a firearm in the commission of robbery, malicious wounding, conspiring to commit grand larceny of an automobile, and felony hit-and-run from when Mr. Johnson and fellow gang members committed a series of crimes over the course of a single day in 2022. Mr. Johnson’s co-defendant, 24-year-old Brian Lacole Spears, was sentenced in 2023 to serve 13 years in prison after he entered a no-contest plea for his role in the incidents.

On the morning of Aug. 20, 2022, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Spears and two additional suspects were together when Mr. Johnson and Mr. Spears stole items from a car parked on Norchester Avenue. When the owner of the car approached the group, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Spears robbed him at gunpoint of his keys and Apple AirPods. The group fled after the robbery, with Mr. Spears driving them in a silver Dodge Charger. That same morning, the group arrived at a residential area off Norview Avenue, and Mr. Johnson and Mr. Spears attempted to steal a truck before being scared off by the owner.

Mr. Spears then drove the group up the street to Giles Circle, where he saw a Hyundai Tucson left running outside of a residence. The owner was not in the driver's seat but had been standing nearby. Mr. Johnson got out of the Charger and entered the driver's seat of the Tucson to drive it away. When the owner saw what was happening and tried to stop Mr. Johnson, he punched her in her face and knocked her to the ground. Mr. Johnson ran over the woman’s legs as he drove away and, soon after, struck another parked vehicle. Mr. Johnson then got out of the wrecked Tucson and fled with the owner’s purse. Mr. Johnson rejoined the group when Mr. Spears picked him up some streets over.

While at the scene of the carjacking, the victim whose AirPods were stolen showed Norfolk Police detectives the real-time GPS location of his headphones in the 5700 block of Northampton Boulevard in Virginia Beach. The Virginia Beach Police Crime Suppression Unit responded to that location, where officers saw the silver Charger parked outside a restaurant and the group of suspects exiting the vehicle. Virginia Beach officers also confirmed that the Charger had been reported stolen two days prior.

During their surveillance, officers saw Mr. Johnson exit the Dodge Charger and enter the restaurant. Once alerted that the police were there, Mr. Johnson and the others ran from the scene while Mr. Spears got back into the Charger and drove off. Virginia Beach and Norfolk officers followed Mr. Spears and activated their lights and sirens, but Mr. Spears eluded officers at a high rate of speed along the Virginia Beach and Norfolk border. Officers lost sight of Mr. Spears in a residential area during the pursuit but soon located the parked Charger and Mr. Spears on foot near the intersection of Norristown Drive and Lillian Avenue. When Mr. Spears was detained, he was carrying a backpack with two loaded, semi-automatic pistols inside.

The identities of Mr. Johnson and the two other suspects were unknown at the time Mr. Spears was taken into custody. After Mr. Johnson was arrested for an unrelated incident in Virginia Beach, the carjacking victim was able to identify him.

On June 29, 2023, Mr. Spears entered an agreement in which he pleaded no contest, pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, to felony eluding, carjacking, armed robbery, malicious wounding, and misdemeanor carrying of a concealed weapon. By entering an Alford plea, a defendant asserts his innocence but admits that there is enough evidence to convict and that he does not want to risk going to trial. Judge Mary Jane Hall accepted Mr. Spears’s plea agreement, found him guilty, and sentenced him in November 2023 to serve 13 years in prison with another 27 years suspended on the conditions that Mr. Spears complete five years of uniform good behavior and an indeterminate period of supervised probation, have no contact with the victims, and pay restitution following his release.

Mr. Johnson pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested a jury trial, which took place on June 30 and July 1, 2025. After hearing the evidence and arguments, the jury found Mr. Johnson guilty as charged of carjacking, armed robbery, using a firearm in the commission of robbery, malicious wounding, conspiring to commit grand larceny of an automobile, and felony hit-and-run.

At Mr. Johnson’s sentencing hearing on Oct. 17, the Commonwealth argued that Mr. Johnson should serve an active sentence at about the midpoint of his sentencing guidelines, which recommended 14 years and eight months in prison. Judge Devon R. Paige, who presided over the jury trial, sentenced Mr. Johnson to serve 15 years in prison and suspended another 53 years on the conditions that Mr. Johnson completes six months of post-release supervision, five years of probation, and 10 years of uniform good behavior.

“Mr. Johnson and Mr. Spears were fortunate that they did not kill anyone in this dangerous series of crimes, but that has to do as much with luck as with any deliberate decision,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Each of these men will now spend over a decade in prison for their actions. These sentences were consistent with our duty to protect the community, and I hope that they bring some measure of closure to the victims in this case. We will continue to focus our resources on the prosecution of people who threaten, harm, and endanger people in our city.”

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie G. Johnson prosecuted Mr. Johnson’s case, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Madeline C. Woodruff (now of the Chesapeake Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office) prosecuted Mr. Spears’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective Patrick A. Garvey led the investigation.

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Nov. 8, 2023

Getaway Driver Sentenced to 13 Years for Carjacking, Armed Robbery, Malicious Wounding From August 2022 Incidents

NORFOLK, Va. – On Friday, 22-year-old Brian Lacole Spears was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court to 13 years in prison for robbing a man at gunpoint and carjacking a woman last summer.

The morning of Aug. 20, 2022, Mr. Spears and three co-defendants stole items from a vehicle parked on Norchester Avenue. When the car owner approached the group, he was robbed of his keys and Apple AirPods at gunpoint. The group fled after the robbery, with Mr. Spears driving them in a silver Dodge Charger.

That same morning, the group arrived at a residential area off Norview Avenue and attempted to steal a man’s truck but were scared off when the man saw them. Mr. Spears then drove the group up the street to Giles Circle, where they saw a Hyundai Tucson running outside of a residence. The Tucson’s owner was not in the driver's seat and was standing nearby. One of the individuals with Mr. Spears exited the Charger and entered the driver's seat of the Tucson to drive it away. When the Tucson’s owner saw what was happening and she tried to stop the man, he punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground, also hitting her with her own car as he drove away. The man soon struck another parked vehicle with the Tucson, wrecking it, and fled the scene on foot with the victim’s purse. The man rejoined the group when Mr. Spears picked him up some streets over.

While at the scene of the carjacking, Norfolk Police detectives were alerted by the victim whose AirPods were stolen that that the headphones’ location was pinging in the 5700 block of Northampton Boulevard in Virginia Beach. The Virginia Beach Police Crime Suppression Unit responded to a restaurant at that location, where officers saw the silver Charger parked and Mr. Spears’ group exiting the vehicle. Virginia Beach officers also confirmed that the Charger had been reported stolen two days prior.

During their surveillance, officers saw Mr. Spears get back into the Charger and drive it away. Virginia Beach and Norfolk officers followed Mr. Spears and activated their lights and sirens, but Mr. Spears took off at a high rate of speed and led officers on a pursuit along the Virginia Beach and Norfolk border. Officers lost sight of Mr. Spears in a residential area during the pursuit but soon located the parked Charger and apprehended Mr. Spears on foot near the intersection of Norristown Drive and Lillian Avenue. Mr. Spears was carrying a backpack with two loaded, semi-automatic pistols inside.

On June 29, Mr. Spears pleaded no contest to felony carjacking, eluding, armed robbery and malicious wounding, and to misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon, and Judge Mary Jane Hall found him guilty.

On Friday, Nov. 3, Judge Hall sentenced Mr. Spears to 40 years in prison, with 27 years suspended on the conditions that Mr. Spears complete five years of uniform good behavior and an indeterminate period of supervised probation, have no contact with the victim, and pay restitution to the victim.

For an unrelated case following an August 2021 incident, Mr. Spears pleaded guilty to grand larceny auto, eluding, and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon in June 2022. Judge Robert B. Rigney deferred a finding of guilt and took the matter under advisement, giving Mr. Spears an opportunity to avoid felony convictions if he was of uniform good behavior and complied with probation requirements for one year. Because Mr. Spears committed the subsequent August 2022 offenses, Judge Hall on June 29 also found Mr. Spears guilty of his 2021 charges and, on Friday, sentenced Mr. Spears to six more suspended years in custody.

“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.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Madeline C. Woodruff prosecuted Mr. Spears’ case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Patrick A. Garvey led the investigation.

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