Markus Vine from Irving carjacked a woman at gunpoint in 2020 and has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, CBS 11 News reports.
Vine pled guilty to the charges in 2021, admitting to carjacking the woman as she was about to get into her vehicle parked outside a grocery store.
According to court documents obtained by CBS 11 News, the woman had grown suspicious as Vine came towards her and tried to enter her vehicle and lock the doors. However, Vine threatened her with a 9mm pistol and asked her to come out.
When the woman got out of the SUV, Vine got in and drove away. The 28-year-old reportedly stopped at a nearby gas station and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. About 15 minutes later, he robbed another gas station.
Vine then parked the stolen SUV at an Irving apartment complex, where he was arrested two days later as he attempted to get into the vehicle.
Police say they found the pistol with which Markus Vine committed the crimes inside an apartment where he lived. He claimed the gun was inoperable. However, authorities determined that it qualified as a firearm under federal law after an inspection. This finding invalidates Vine’s claims despite officers finding that the pistol trigger and firing pin assemblies seemed to be missing.
Per CBS 11 News, ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Jeffery Boshek II said Vine was a “menace” to society. “Mr. Vine is one of the reasons as to why ATF exists. He was the definition of a menace to society: a carjacking followed by a gas station robbery. We are safer with him behind bars,” Boshek said.
