A former Middleboro man pleaded guilty yesterday to carjacking an Auburn grandmother in downtown Boston last year, accepting more than a decade in prison rather than face trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

RICHARD MORSE, Jr. (D.O.B. 12/23/60), who was living at the Pine Street Inn at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to carjacking, armed robbery, assault and battery on a person over 60, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon for the incidents that unfolded near Downtown Crossing on the evening of Nov. 2, 2009.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connors sentenced Morse to 11 years in state prison on the carjacking charge, concurrent terms of four to five years on the assault and assault and battery charges, and five years of probation on the armed robbery charge, to begin upon his release from prison in the year 2020. Should Morse re-offend while on probation, he faces up to life in prison, Conley said.

Assistant District Attorney Gregory Henning of Conley’s Major Felony Bureau told the court that the 61-year-old victim had just left her daughter’s Boston apartment and was entering her car on Province Street when Morse grabbed her, entered the car, and tried to push her over the vehicle’s center console and into the passenger’s seat. When she screamed, he punched her and threatened to kill her.

The victim exited the car and continued to scream. A nearby valet heard her cries and approached the vehicle armed only with an umbrella. When Morse couldn’t locate the victim’s car keys, he also exited and threatened the valet with a knife before bolting from the scene with the victim’s purse.

As the valet gave chase, another civilian in the area notified a Boston Police officer working a paid detail nearby. The officer and second civilian chased after Morse, who by that time was brandishing a knife at the valet at the end of Pi Alley.

“When they saw what happened, they took action,” Conley said of the civilians. “Their efforts didn’t just scare the assailant away from the victim – they led to a solid arrest based on strong identifications. They did the right thing when it mattered most, and we thank them.”

The pursuit led to Quaker Lane, where the valet told the officer that Morse was armed. The officer soon observed Morse and took him into custody.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Morse later said in a statement to Boston Police detectives. “You got me dead to rights.”

Michael Coffey was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Morse was represented by attorney Timothy Brown.