A federal indictment has been filed against Charles Washington, Jr., a 33-year-old resident of Washington, D.C. He is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. This announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). At the time of his arrest, Washington was on probation.
Court documents reveal that officers from the MPD’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit responded to a report concerning firearms at 4:05 p.m. on March 12 in the 2800 block of Alabama Ave. SE. Several individuals were gathered near a grey car, including Washington who was seen leaning on it. As officers arrived, Washington fled while holding his waistband. He stopped briefly to hunch over a sewer drain and appeared to discard an object before continuing to run but tripped shortly after and was apprehended by officers.
Officers inspected the sewer drain where they found a black "ghost gun," which is described as a privately made firearm with no serial number. The weapon had a Polymer 80 frame and an attached Glock 23 slide and barrel; it was loaded with twelve rounds plus one in the chamber.
Washington has previous convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of both firearm and ammunition. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 25.
The investigation into this case is being conducted by both the MPD and ATF, while prosecution efforts are led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
This case forms part of "Make DC Safe Again," an initiative spearheaded by U.S. Attorney Martin aimed at reducing violent crime through increased resource allocation within the District.
It should be noted that an indictment represents only an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court proceedings.
