An Indianapolis man will spend nine years in federal prison for two armed carjacking incidents connected to the University of Indianapolis.
Deandre Govan, 21, pled guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence on Jan. 22. He was sentenced Feb. 15 to nine years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, and Govan will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
The first carjacking took place on Oct. 10, 2021. The male victim arrived to work at a restaurant on the 3800 block of S. East St. on Indy’s southside, and as he walked to the door of the restaurant, he was approached by Govan, according to court documents.
Govan brandished a black semiautomatic handgun and took the victim’s wallet and cell phone, ordering him to unlock the phone. He also forced the victim to give him the keys to his car and fled the scene in the stolen car. The following day, UIndy Police found the stolen Audi R8 on campus and notified the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, court documents show.
The second carjacking occurred on Oct. 12, 2021. A female victim was parked near Warren Hall on UIndy’s campus in a Ford sedan with her windows down when Govan approached her and brandished a black semiautomatic pistol, according to court documents.
Govan instructed the woman to hang up her phone and unlock the device. He took her phone and money before forcing her out of her car and then fleeing the scene in the stolen car, court documents say.
The car was later seen on security cameras at an apartment complex on the 4000 block of S. Keystone Avenue, near UIndy’s campus. UIndy Police later found the Ford on campus on Oct. 13, 2021 — in the same parking lot they found the stolen Audi R8, court documents show.
Around the same time, IMPD received multiple reports of robberies near apartment complexes in the area of South Keystone Avenue and East Hanna Avenue.
On Oct. 13, 2021, maintenance men at the apartment complex were standing outside of one of the residential buildings when Govan rode by on a bicycle. The men did not recognize him to be a resident within the complex, so they asked him what he was doing there. Govan became hostile and brandished a black semiautomatic pistol and pointed it at the face of one of the workers, according to court documents.
One of the workers pulled out his own firearm, firing into the ground in self-defense. Govan then fled the area, court documents show.
Shortly after this, IMPD investigators found Govan at the intersection of South Keystone and East Hanna avenues. He initially resisted arrest but was quickly detained, court documents say.
Investigators found a fully-loaded Glock 45 9mm semiautomatic pistol on Govan and were able to identify him as the carjacker by his tattoos and clothes, according to court documents.
Both IMPD and the FBI investigated the case, which is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Corbin D. Houston, the news release says.
Armed criminals like Govan who “terrorize our communities” have to be held accountable, said Zachary A. Myers, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
“The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that there is no place in society for these violent crimes and that armed, violent criminals are a priority for federal prosecution,” Myers said in the news release. “We are deeply committed to working closely with our partners at the FBI and IMPD to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis.”
FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herb Stapleton hopes the sentence will bring comfort to Govan’s victims by them knowing he is behind bars and “not free to terrorize others,” he said in the news release.
“It also demonstrates the teamwork between the FBI and our partners at the IMPD and should send a clear message that violent criminals preying on our community will not be tolerated,” Stapleton said.
