Dremale Vanterpool, 27, and Torrance Brock, 23, both from the District of Columbia, have been indicted on federal charges related to firearms and drug trafficking. The charges stem from a high-speed pursuit in 2023 that ended with the recovery of loaded firearms and illegal substances.
Vanterpool faces charges including unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Brock is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Court documents reveal that on June 7, 2023, U.S. Capitol Police officers attempted to stop a gray Nissan Rogue linked to armed robberies in Delaware and Maryland. When officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle fled through Northeast and Southeast D.C., leading to a pursuit.
The vehicle was eventually blocked by traffic at Ely Place SE. Both men fled on foot while appearing to conceal weapons. Vanterpool was caught after discarding a baseball-sized bag over a fence. Brock was detained shortly afterward.
Officers recovered two loaded firearms—a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm and a Taurus G3C 9mm—and more than 39 grams of cocaine in the discarded bag. Vanterpool also had additional items suggesting drug distribution: a digital scale, two cell phones, $605 in cash, and another bag containing cocaine mixed with fentanyl.
Both men have previous felony convictions in North Carolina which prohibit them from possessing firearms under federal law.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Washington Field Division with assistance from U.S. Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
