Defendant Was on PCP at Time of Mid-Morning Crime
WASHINGTON - Keith Loving, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 21 ½ years for carjacking a Metrobus and then fatally striking a man with the vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police Department.
At the time he committed the crimes, Loving was under the influence of PCP.
Loving pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and carjacking. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed upon sentence of 21 ½ years. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Loving will be placed on XX years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Loving boarded a Metrobus at a stop in the 3800 Block of Jay Street NE. He used his Metro SmarTrip card to pay the fare. Once on board, Loving remained standing in the front entry of the bus next to the bus operator, even as the bus began to travel. The bus operator asked Loving if he was okay because Loving was breathing heavily. Loving yelled at the operator in an aggressive manner, and then lunged towards him with a pair of needle nosed pliers. The operator struggled with Loving but was able to disarm him of the weapon. During the altercation, all four of the other passengers exited the bus through the rear door. Loving pushed the operator off the bus, closed the doors, sat in the operator’s seat, and began driving away.
Loving drove the bus eastbound from the 3800 Block of Jay Street NE towards 800 Kenilworth Terrace NE, and then made a left turn onto northbound Kenilworth Terrace NE. He continued to drive the bus northbound in the 800 Block of Kenilworth Terrace NE and struck the left side of a Seabury Connector bus that was also traveling that way. At the time of that collision, the Connector Bus was transporting senior citizens. After that collision, Loving continued to drive in a reckless and erratic manner by, for example, driving on to the opposite lanes of traffic, as vehicles drove towards the bus.
At 10:32 a.m., Loving pulled the bus in an erratic manner onto the lot of a gas station in the 4200 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE. After passing through the gas pumps, he momentarily stopped the bus. While the bus was stopped, Anthony C. Payne was standing near a trash dumpster depositing trash, a short distance directly in front of the bus. In an apparent effort to leave the parking lot, Loving propelled the bus forward and turned the bus directly towards Mr. Payne. The bus struck Mr. Payne and pinned him under the front left side of the bus. The bus then came to a stop, with Loving remaining behind the wheel. Mr. Payne, 40, was taken to a hospital, where he died a short time later.
Loving was arrested on the scene. He was taken to a hospital for minor injuries. Sixth District Officers guarding Loving heard him advise hospital staff that he had smoked K-2 and PCP prior to the incident. When he was arrested, Loving tested positive for PCP. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Chief Pavlik commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Transit Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who assisted with the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Gonzalez-Roman, Paralegal Specialists Lashone Samuels and Stephanie Siegerist, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward A. O’Connell and Michael Spence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
