A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to almost 17 years in prison following an armed carjacking incident that targeted an elderly victim in West Philadelphia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reported that Zyair Dangerfield-Hill, 24, received a 199-month prison term for the crime that occurred in April 2021. Judge Paul S. Diamond also imposed five years of supervised release for Dangerfield-Hill post-imprisonment.
The sentence comes after Dangerfield-Hill was found guilty on charges of carjacking and aiding and abetting, along with carrying and using a firearm during and about a crime of violence. Authorities said that the defendant, together with an associate, had accosted the 73-year-old man as he was busy putting something in his parked vehicle on a Spruce Hill neighborhood street. Two additional assailants soon joined, threatening the victim with loaded handguns and demanding his possessions before stealing his car. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the victim complied by handing over a $20 bill and his car keys.
The carjacking prompted a swift response from the Philadelphia Police Department, which, after arriving minutes later, broadcast the suspects’ descriptions and tracked down the stolen vehicle. The pursuit ended when the car, driven erratically, crashed into metal pillars, leading to a foot chase that resulted in Dangerfield-Hill’s apprehension. Evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, and location data later linked him conclusively to the crime…