A parolee who carjacked a woman at knifepoint at an Old Town gas station/minimart while her husband was in the store was sentenced Monday to seven years and eight months in state prison.
Lawrence Atwood, who has a criminal history including robbery and head-butting a trolley security officer, pleaded guilty in April to carjacking with a deadly weapon and evading police.
Defense attorney Saba Sheibani said Atwood, 47, was extremely remorseful for the March 14 carjacking and didn’t mean to hurt anyone. The attorney said her client was high on methamphetamine when he committed the crime.
But Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang said the victim — who lives out of state — was traumatized by the defendant’s actions.
Superior Court Judge Michael Groch imposed the maximum sentence under a plea agreement, calling Atwood a danger to the community.
San Diego police said the victim and her husband had pulled into the gas station about 1 p.m. The husband left the car running and went into the store, and the defendant jumped into the driver’s seat, police said.
Atwood ordered the woman at knifepoint to get out of the car and she complied, police said. The defendant then drove off.
That night, officers spotted Atwood, who he led them on a chase before being arrested, Wang said.
— City News Service
