An 18-year-old from Washington, D.C., involved in a carjacking incident will spend less than four months behind bars, despite federal prosecutors advocating for a seven-year term.

Mark Edwards received his sentence on Friday at the D.C. Superior Court after admitting guilt to a carjacking charge stemming from an incident on May 28. According to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Edwards and a 14-year-old accomplice commandeered a double-parked vehicle by suggesting they were armed.

Following a police pursuit, authorities apprehended the duo in Maryland.

Judge Judith Pipe, appointed by former President Joe Biden, handed down a sentence of 84 months in prison, but suspended it except for the time already served. Edwards will also undergo one year of supervised probation. The sentence was issued under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which allows for reduced sentences below mandatory minimums, a decision made despite opposition from the prosecution.

A D.C. Metropolitan Police vehicle is captured at the intersection of 14th St. NW and U St. in Washington, D.C., on August 14, 2025. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

Prosecutors had sought a full seven-year prison term followed by three years of supervised release.

Edwards had been in custody since Aug. 6 and served roughly 108 days. He will not have to serve the remainder of the suspended sentence if he successfully completes probation, prosecutors said.

Edwards took a plea deal after he was also charged with an attempted carjacking days earlier. In that case, Edwards and another suspect approached a double-parked car, demanded the driver’s keys and stole his cellphone, prosecutors said. The driver managed to get back into his car and escape the scene, according to the Justice Department.

Judge Judith Pipe testifies during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 21, 2025. (Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)

Pirro and D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith commended the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers who investigated both incidents.

Teen carjackings have remained a concern in the nation’s capital, though overall numbers are falling.

There have been 238 carjackings so far this year, resulting in 135 arrests, according to MPD data.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a news conference on crime. (Eric Lee/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

More than half of those arrested, around 53%, were juveniles.

Carjackings are down about 49% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2024, according to the data.