SAVANNAH — Donald Palmer received more than 13 years in federal prison for carjacking a woman at gunpoint and stealing her vehicle.

Release:

A Savannah man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carjacking a woman at gunpoint and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Donald Palmer, 42, of Savannah, was sentenced to 162 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to carjacking and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents and testimony, Palmer carjacked a woman at gunpoint in December 2025 in the parking lot of Nancy’s Seafood on West Bay Street in Savannah.

Savannah Police officers responded to the scene, where the victim provided a description of Palmer and information about her stolen vehicle.

While the investigation was underway, police received another call reporting that the vehicle had crashed. Palmer attempted to flee before law enforcement arrived, but a good Samaritan at the crash scene assisted responding officers in apprehending him a short distance from the vehicle.

The firearm Palmer used during the carjacking was recovered from the vehicle. Surveillance video from the restaurant also showed Palmer using the firearm to carjack the victim before speeding away.

“Violent crime has no place in our communities, and this sentence ensures a dangerous individual is removed from our streets,” U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap said.

Heap credited the Savannah Police Department and the good Samaritan with helping quickly apprehend Palmer.

The case was investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Savannah Police Department. Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese prosecuted the case.