A St. Louis man has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to rob a cabdriver at gunpoint and trying to carjack a good Samaritan following a drunk driving crash.
U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine sentenced Cornell Woolfolk, 29, to 146 months in prison and fined him $3,000. Woolfolk admitted guilt in November to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The incident took place on December 4, 2024, when officers from the Berkeley Police Department and Woodson Terrace Police Department responded to a crash on Natural Bridge Road near Interstate 70. A Pontiac driven by Woolfolk struck a taxicab, causing it to overturn. Officers observed Woolfolk removing a large bag from his vehicle and entering another car driven by someone who had stopped to help.
According to court documents, Woolfolk ignored police commands before chasing the driver of the second car. He was apprehended by police at the scene. Authorities found a stolen .380 caliber pistol in his bag along with several half-empty liquor bottles inside the Pontiac. His blood alcohol content measured 0.14 percent.
During sentencing, Judge Divine determined that Woolfolk attempted an armed robbery of the cabdriver and then tried to carjack the good Samaritan in an effort to escape after the crash. Police intervened before he could flee.
The case was investigated by the Berkeley Police Department, Woodson Terrace Police Department, and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative using resources from federal law enforcement agencies such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods aimed at combating violent crime and criminal organizations nationwide.
