Narcotics Were Recovered After Defendant Fired Gunshots at Another Driver During Road Rage Incident
WASHINGTON - Jeremiah Woodfork, 33, of District Heights, Md., has been sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison on a federal cocaine trafficking charge stemming from his apprehension after he fired multiple gunshots from his car at another motorist in Northeast Washington. At the time of his arrest, Woodfork was awaiting sentencing in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Md., for an attempted robbery conviction, for which he failed to appear.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Woodfork pled guilty in September 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2019, by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. Following completion of his prison term, Woodfork will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 18, 2017, at approximately 9:40 a.m., Woodfork was driving in a teal-colored Mercedes-Benz with his pregnant girlfriend when he cut off another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle began to follow Woodfork’s vehicle in an effort to obtain the license plate number to call in a report of a reckless driver.
As the other motorist followed Woodfork, Woodfork abruptly stopped the Mercedes in the 1900 block of 3rd Street NE, rolled down the driver’s side window, and fired multiple gunshots at the other vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle called 911 and provided a description of the Mercedes Woodfork was operating.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) spotted Woodfork’s Mercedes a short time later and attempted to stop him. However, Woodfork fled at a high rate of speed through parts of Northeast and Northwest Washington.
Officers eventually cut Woodfork off near Fifth and T Streets NW, at which time Woodfork crashed the Mercedes into a parked vehicle and fled on foot. Woodfork was apprehended a short distance away. In a search of his pockets, police found cocaine and $1,290. Police also recovered additional quantities of cocaine and marijuana in a vest lying next to the driver’s seat of the Mercedes, as well as a Taurus.22-caliber semi-automatic pistol in an alleyway a short distance from where Woodfork crashed the Mercedes.
At the time of his arrest, Woodfork had failed to appear for sentencing in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Md., after his conviction for attempted robbery, first-degree burglary, and second-degree assault in an unrelated case.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham, commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven B. Wasserman and Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
