Milwaukee armed carjackings; James Poole sentence, 11 years federal prison
James Poole
MILWAUKEE - James Poole, 19, was sentenced on Thursday, April 3 to 11 years in federal prison for his role in armed carjackings in Milwaukee back in January 2024.
Case details
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee detectives were dispatched on Monday evening, Jan. 29 to Farwell Avenue just west of Maryland for an armed carjacking complaint. Around 7:45 p.m., the victims noticed an SUV park in front of them, three Black males exited the SUV and approached their Mercedes. The complaint says the three "all pointed guns at him while wearing black hood sweatshirts." The victims were ordered to give the gunmen their wallet, credit cards, car keys and iPhone. The three suspects then drove off.
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One of the victims was able to "deactivate" the Mercedes by reducing its maximum speed to 20 mph using a program. One victim told police the vehicle stopped near 23rd and Capitol. Officers went to the scene and recovered surveillance from across the street. The "surveillance shows the Mercedes stop and a subject toss something next to a black SUV. The subject enters the black SUV which drives away. Officers surveyed the scene and located an ID card belonging to defendant James Poole. The ID was located directly where the subject entered the black-colored SUV," the complaint says.
The complaint notes a second carjacking which happened on Tuesday evening, Jan. 30 near 2nd and Plankinton in Milwaukee. The victim told police he was parked around 5:15 p.m. when a person walked up to his Infiniti Q50 and tapped on the window. That person was armed with two firearms -- and later identified as defendant Poole. The defendant ordered the man out of his car, took the key fob and drove off.
A short time later, the Infiniti Q50 was spotted near 19th and Center. Police activated their lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop -- and the car accelerated away.
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The criminal complaint says the police chase lasted nearly six miles -- and reached top speeds of 91 mph in rush hour traffic. The driver of the Infiniti Q50 "disregarded numerous red stop signs and traveled in the wrong traffic lanes. The pursuit ended when the Q50 crashed into a large tree" at 82nd and Burleigh. The car burst into flames.
Severely damaged, burned car near 82nd and Burleigh
Five people were in the Q50. Four suffered significant injuries, the complaint says. Defendant Griffin fled from the vehicle and was arrested after a brief foot pursuit, the complaint says.
The complaint says "Poole was arrested with a loaded firearm tucked into his waistband."
Co-defendant sentenced
What we know:
Poole’s co-defendant, Jabari Griffin (age 21), was sentenced on February 27, 2025, for his role in aiding and abetting Poole in the January 30, 2024, carjacking. Griffin was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
Jabari Griffin
What they're saying:
Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling shared this statement in a news release:
"Individuals who engage in violent crimes – like these armed carjackings – not only endanger the lives and well-being of their victims but also can shatter the confidence of all residents that our cities are safe places in which to live and work. The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with all of its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold these individuals accountable for their actions and to pursue justice for all impacted victims."
FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle shared the following in a news release:
"Armed carjackings and the dangerous actions of those who committed the offenses in this case endangered the public and impacted the victims of this crime. This sentencing reflects the severity of the crimes committed by James Poole. The FBI remains steadfastly committed to working with our partners to investigate violent crime matters—to include armed carjackings—in our ongoing efforts to positively impact public safety within our community."
Milwaukee police chase, crash; 2 accused face multiple charges
Two Milwaukee men now face charges in connection with two carjackings as well as a police chase that ended with a crash at 82nd and Burleigh.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Wisconsin and previous FOX6 News coverage.