RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond man who led police in a high-speed chase in 2022 has pleaded guilty to a carjacking incident in Southside Plaza that occurred weeks before.

Keith Travers, 37, pleaded guilty to carjacking in Virginia Eastern U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

According to court documents, Travers and an accomplice met with another person at Southside Plaza to purportedly sell a catalytic converter on Aug. 6, 2022. However, Travers and the accomplice never brought a catalytic converter with them to the meeting. When the victim turned to leave, Travers’ accomplice reportedly said, “You know what this is, give me your wallet, keys and your phone.”

The victim then reportedly reached for a gun he was carrying on his right hip but Travers pointed his own gun at the victim’s head and said, “Don’t lose your life over this,” a release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 

“Fearing that Travers was about to shoot him, the victim turned his gun over to Travers’ accomplice, who then pointed it at the victim,” a DOJ spokesperson said. “The victim also handed over his business wallet, car keys, and work cell phone. There was between $5,000 and $6,000 in the wallet when he handed it to Travers’s accomplice.”

Travers’ accomplice reportedly drove away in the victim’s car while Travers left in the car he had arrived in, a white 2014 Mazda.

On Aug. 19, 2022, officers with the Richmond Police Department spotted the white Mazda and followed it into a parking lot. According to court documents, parked the vehicle and got out but when he saw detectives approaching him he returned to the driver’s seat and “began moving around inside.” When detectives drew their weapons, Travers reportedly sped off, hitting a detective in the process.

Court documents indicate Travers was spotted again three days later. When Richmond police officers attempted to stop Travers’ vehicle, he accelerated suddenly and police gave chase. After nearly an hour, Travers got out of the vehicle and ran away. During the foot chase with police, Travers reportedly threw a 9mm semi-automatic pistol under a nearby vehicle.

Officers arrested Travers shortly after the chase. The semi-automatic pistol was later identified as the same one used during the carjacking on Aug. 6, 2022.

Travers is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2024. The maximum penalty for his convicted crime is 15 years in prison.