Man sentenced for armed carjacking of family at Lakewood convenience store
A man accused of pointing a rifle at a family of four while carjacking their Honda Accord in Lakewood was sentenced Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court.
Brandon McGowan, 37, was sentenced to 12 years, 9 months in prison for first-degree robbery and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, the low end of the standard sentencing range for such cases. Prosecutors had recommended to the judge that McGowan spend 15 years in prison for his crimes.
McGowan pleaded guilty Oct. 4 to both charges. In his plea statement, McGowan admitted he stole property from the family during the incident in June 2019.
It was the third time he has been convicted of robbery in Pierce County. McGowan previously was convicted of first-degree robbery in 2004 and of second-degree robbery in 2015. He also was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in 2010.
According to charging papers, McGowan was waiting outside a Lakewood convenience store June 25, 2019, when a man, his wife and their two children drove up to buy coffee.
When the man returned to his car, McGowan approached and pointed a rifle at him, ordering him out of the car, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. The man hesitated, and McGowan allegedly hit the man in the face with the butt of his rifle. The rest of the family got out of the car while the man was being assaulted.
Then, prosecutors said, McGowan ripped a gold necklace off the man’s neck and fled in the car.
An alert was issued, and McGowan was found and detained the next day. According to the probable cause statement, McGowan was on community custody for his last robbery conviction in Pierce County when the incident occurred.
