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5.3: Carjacking

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    69919

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    The crime of carjacking is defined in section 215 of the California Penal Code.

    (a) “Carjacking” is the felonious taking of a motor vehicle in the possession of another, from his or her person or immediate presence, or from the person or immediate presence of a passenger of the motor vehicle, against his or her will and with the intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person in possession of the motor vehicle of his or her possession, accomplished by means of force or fear.

    (b) Carjacking is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for a term of three, five, or nine years.

    (c) This section shall not be construed to supersede or affect Section 211. A person may be charged with a violation of this section and Section 211. However, no defendant may be punished under this section and Section 211 for the same act which constitutes a violation of both this section and Section 211.38

    Here is a real-life story to illustrate the desperation of this particular crime.

    Stanislaus County, California — On Friday, September 22nd, 2023, at 3:45 p.m., deputies investigated a home burglary in the 3500 block of West Keyes Road in Keyes, where a handgun was stolen. At 5:31 p.m., a citizen in the 5100 block of Muncy Road in Modesto reported being carjacked at gunpoint by a male adult, later determined to be 43-year-old Jason Dingler, who stole the man’s pickup truck. 6 minutes after the carjacking, at 5:37 p.m., an employee of the One Stop Market in the city Grayson reported a male with a gun stole from the store. The man was described the same as the one from the carjacking minutes earlier. He was also later identified as Dingler. A California Highway Patrol officer located the stolen truck traveling south on Highway 33 at 5:44 p.m. After multiple deputies arrived to assist with stopping the vehicle being driven by Dingler, he failed to pull over, leading them on a pursuit. With Air101, the Sheriff’s Office helicopter overhead, Dingler continued fleeing from deputies on Highway 33, reaching speeds up to 95 MPH.

    During the pursuit, at 5:59 p.m., Dingler sideswiped another car as he passed it, causing his vehicle to leave the roadway and crash at the edge of an orchard. He exited the truck and fled on foot into the same orchard, where he shot at deputies’ multiple times. Air101 provided updates to deputies on the ground as Dingler moved through the orchard, including laying on the ground, shooting at deputies again and striking a patrol car. For the next several minutes, he could be seen with a gun in his hand and began moving closer to where the deputies were. At 6:26 p.m., Dingler was approaching deputies, at which time two discharged their firearms at least one time each. Dingler was struck by at least one bullet and fell to the ground. Deputies gave him multiple commands, but he was uncooperative and still had a gun within his reach. As additional safety equipment arrived at the scene, including armored vehicles, deputies were able to approach Dingler and take him into custody at 6:47 p.m. They immediately began providing him with medical treatment until he could be transported to a hospital by a nearby waiting ambulance. He survived his gunshot wound(s) and is in stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit.

    The firearm used by Dingler to shoot at deputies was recovered from the orchard. It is the same as the handgun stolen in the earlier burglary and believed to be the same used in the carjacking and robbery at the market. The Major Crimes Unit, Stanislaus County District Attorney Office, and administrative investigators responded to the scene. It is standard for both criminal and administrative investigations to be conducted at the same time when an officer-involved shooting occurs. No deputies or other assisting law enforcement were injured in the incident. The driver of the sideswiped vehicle complained of pain from the accident but declined to be treated at the time. As related to each incident listed, 43-year-old Dingler is arrested for the following crimes:

    Residential Burglary, Carjacking, Kidnapping, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Robbery, brandishing a Firearm, Evading a Peace Officer, Hit and Run, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle Attempted Murder, Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition, and Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.39

    38California Penal Code

    39Wikimedia Commons (2023)

    This page titled 5.3: Carjacking was last modified on Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:42:43 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Cartwright.