Travis Thomas, a 17-year-old from Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to charges related to firing multiple rounds in an elementary school playground and two armed carjackings. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Thomas is being prosecuted as an adult under Title 16.
Thomas entered his plea to one count of assault with intent to kill while armed and two counts of armed carjacking before Judge Neal Kravitz in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sentencing is scheduled for November 14, 2025.
According to government evidence, on April 20, 2025, Thomas became involved in an online dispute with someone he believed was connected to a rival group. He then traveled to the 300 block of 53rd Street SE and fired more than 15 shots into the playground at C.W. Harris Elementary School. One person was struck in the forehead by a bullet and required surgery at a local hospital for a skull fracture.
The investigation also linked Thomas to two separate armed carjackings: one on October 30, 2024, at the Safeway grocery store parking garage at 415 14th Street SE, and another on November 17, 2024, in the 1300 block of Massachusetts Avenue SE.
Thomas was arrested on April 25, 2025, and remains in custody.
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the plea agreement. Both officials commended investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department and acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green for prosecuting the case.
