W. African men sentenced in suburban carjackings

Two West African men have received 15-year prison sentences for participating in a series of violent carjackings in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Jakuba Janneh, 31, and Unisa Kamara, 21, each pleaded guilty in September 2008 to two counts of brandishing a firearm during a carjacking.

The two incidents, one in Havertown, Delaware County, and the other in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, both occurred on Nov. 14 2007 and targeted women driving high-end luxury cars.

In the Havertown carjacking, the victim had to plead with the men to release her 7-year-old daughter, who was in the backseat.

Both vehicles - a Toyota FJ cruiser and a Range Rover - were recovered later that day in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia after a shoot-out with police.

As part of their plea agreements, Janneh and Kamara admitted that they committed an additional seven carjackings.

Janneh, a native of Sierra Leone, was sentenced Wednesday. Before the carjackings occurred, he was facing deportation proceedings.

Kamara, also a native of Sierra Leone, was sentenced today, is a legal permanent resident.

A codefendant, Omaru Sannoh of Liberia, is scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow.