Men Were Part of Crew That Attacked Perceived Rivals
WASHINGTON - Juan Love and Antwon Holley, both 24 and from Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to prison terms for their roles in crew-related shootings at a housing complex in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Love and Holley pled guilty to charges in June 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Love pled guilty to aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit assault. Holley pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit assault. They were sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.
Love was sentenced to a 7 ½-year prison term and Holley was sentenced to a 2 ½-year term of incarceration. Following their prison terms, Love will be placed on five years of supervised release and Holley will be placed on three years of supervised release.
A third defendant, Darius Johnson, 21, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in June 2018 to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit assault. He is to be sentenced on Oct. 12, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, Love, Holley and Johnson were associated with a group known by, among other names, as “Cruddy Islands." Members of “Cruddy Islands" conspired to assault anyone whose interests were contrary to those of the group. They also posted branded music videos on YouTube in which threats were voiced against non-members.
On the afternoon of May 1, 2017, Love, Holley and Johnson were gathered in a housing complex in the 3700 block of Hayes Street NE, in the Paradise neighborhood. Johnson and Holley were armed with paintball guns they used to shoot at various people and objects. Holley shot one man with a paintball gun, leading to a follow-up confrontation. During this confrontation, Holley, Love, Johnson and the other man were all armed with firearms. Love and Johnson fired their guns several times and the man fired back at least once. As a result of this crossfire, an innocent bystander, who was standing near a playground, was shot in the hand. Moments before the shooting, a little girl rode her bike past Love, Holley and Johnson.
All three men pled guilty to charges stemming from the May 1, 2017 incident.
Love also pled guilty to a second shooting at the apartment complex that took place weeks later, on June 21, 2017. Shortly after 8 p.m., Love opened fire on a victim who was less than five feet away, in the 3700 block of Hayes Street NE. The victim required multiple surgeries to repair injuries of the upper right chest, side of his body and pelvis, as well as a punctured bladder.
Following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Love was arrested in July of 2017, and Holley and Johnson were arrested in April of 2018. Each of them has remained in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle, Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan, and Victim/Witness Security Specialist Tanya Via. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
