Milwaukee armed carjacking; 20-year-old charged, locksmith warns others

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee locksmith has a message of caution and is warning other service workers after someone robbed him at gunpoint.

What we know:

Prosecutors recently charged 20-year-old Javon Smith. He was charged with one count of armed carjacking - as a party to a crime.

Javon Smith

The backstory:

Investigators say in early February, Smith and another person requested help from a locksmith, only to aim a gun at the man and empty his pockets.

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Court records say the locksmith was speaking with someone on Facebook Marketplace about reprogramming car keys. They agreed to meet on West Eggert Place.

Investigators say once the man got there, someone got out of a black Nissan with a silver pistol and said "he knew what time it was."

Then, another suspect took the man's two phones, $150 in cash and his keys.

Prosecutors say they took his vehicle full of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, including about 100 blank key fobs and drove off.

Court records show the next day, Smith was identified in an armed robbery, where he stole $800 from a victim using Cash App. Police arrested him days later.

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Officers found a phone with screenshots of messages with the unnamed locksmith, as well as photos of the stolen equipment.

What they're saying:

Now this locksmith wants others in his position to be careful.

"I just felt like betrayed because I came to do a service, I work hard and someone did that," the locksmith said. "Each time someone calls me, I’m scrutinizing everything much, much more. They need to know there’s people like that out there that will take your hard-earned money from you."

What's next:

Smith’s cash bond was set at $20,000. He's due back in court next week.

If convicted, Smith is facing 60 years in prison.