Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Three Violent Carjackings

DETROIT – A Detroit man pleaded guilty today to committing two attempted carjackings and one completed carjacking— including one where he fired an assault rifle at a teenaged victim.

United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced the plea today and was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court records, Gregory Horsley, 20, of Detroit, Michigan, committed the carjackings on May 14, 2021, in Beverly Hills, Michigan. During each offense, Horsley targeted strangers who were inside their vehicles near the intersection of Thirteen Mile Road and Evergreen. In the first carjacking, Horsley approached the 16-year-old victim as he was seated in his car. Horsley pulled out a loaded assault rifle and pointed it at the driver. As the teenager drove off, Horsley fired his weapon, striking the vehicle.

Horsley next approached a vehicle driven by a woman. Horsley brandished his firearm and ordered her out of the car. The victim fled the driver’s seat and Horsley entered her car. But he could not drive away because the victim had the key fob in her pocket.

Horsley exited that vehicle and approached a third driver. Horsley pointed his firearm at the male driver and ordered him out of the car. The driver complied. Horsley then took the keys and drove off in the car.  The carjacked vehicle was found a few days later. Horsley was identified by surveillance video and taken into custody at his home in Detroit.

Horsley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life in prison on the charge of brandishing a firearm while committing a carjacking. For the carjacking charges, Horsley faces a maximum of fifteen years in prison.

“Carjacking is one of the most serious violations of public safety, making people feel vulnerable in their own cars and neighborhoods,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison.  “We will seek significant federal penalties against those who prey on motorists in our communities.”,”

 "Armed carjacking poses an unacceptable danger to public safety and creates a climate of fear for residents in our community,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “This case was investigated by the FBI Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force and serves as an example of the collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, to bring violent criminals to justice. The FBI, along with the Beverly Hills Police, Southfield, and Detroit Police Departments, remains committed to rooting out those who victimize our neighborhoods with violence.”

Sentencing is set for July 13, 2023.

The case was investigated by the FBI Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force, the Beverly Hills Police Department, the Southfield Police Department, the Detroit Police Department, and handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeanine Brunson and Michael Taylor.