Defendant Used Stolen Car to Flee Various Crime Scenes
WASHINGTON - Tyrone Hunter, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years and two months in prison for a series of armed robberies that took place within a two-day period last year in Northwest and Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Hunter was found guilty by a jury in March 2018 of eight counts of armed robbery, as well as conspiracy to commit robbery, fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, and related weapons offenses and other charges. The verdict followed a five-week trial, with testimony from more than 50 witnesses, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert A. Salerno. Following his prison term, Hunter is to be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 15, 2017, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a 2016 grey Audi sedan was stolen from a parking garage in the 400 block of K Street NW. Over the next two days, the stolen Audi was used as the getaway vehicle in eight armed robberies in Northwest and Northeast Washington. In each instance, Hunter exited the front passenger seat and robbed the victims at gunpoint of their personal belongings before fleeing in the stolen car. According to the evidence at trial, the first robbery took place before dawn on Jan. 15, 2017, and the crimes continued into the night of Jan. 16, 2017.
On Feb. 8, 2017, law enforcement observed Hunter driving the stolen Audi. Following a brief chase that resulted in the stolen Audi crashing into numerous vehicles, Hunter exited the vehicle and fled from the police. Law enforcement soon located and arrested Hunter. Following his arrest, several victims identified him as the gunman who robbed them. Hunter has been in custody since his arrest.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Durand Odom; Paralegal Specialists Zoe Antwi and Antoinette Sakamsa; Victim/Witness Advocates Diana Lim and Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, William Henderson, and Ron Royal. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivien Cockburn and Ellen D’Angelo, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
