Gerald Anthony Evans, a 30-year-old previously convicted felon and sex offender from the District of Columbia, was sentenced on April 13 to 21 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded, stolen shotgun while riding a WMATA bus, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Pirro said, “Gerald Evans boarded a public bus in the District of Columbia carrying a loaded stolen shotgun, which he admitted was his. With 23 prior law enforcement encounters, Evans has had every opportunity to choose a different path. Instead, he chose to carry a weapon onto a bus full of commuters. That choice has consequences.”
Evans pleaded guilty on January 13 before U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge McFadden ordered three years of supervised release.
Court documents state that on December 10, 2024, Metro Transit Police observed Evans boarding WMATA Bus 5476 without paying fare and asked him to step off the vehicle after identifying themselves as officers. During the encounter, officers questioned Evans about a bag under his coat; he responded by saying "that’s my gun." Officers then found in the bag a Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12-gauge shotgun loaded with one round in the chamber and three rounds in the magazine. The serial number showed that the firearm had been reported stolen.
Evans’s criminal record includes an arrest for armed carjacking in 2013—he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery—and later convictions for second-degree assault and failure to register as a sex offender across multiple jurisdictions. He has served previous sentences including confinement for probation violations related to these offenses.
The case was investigated by Metro Transit Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Washington Field Division), with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Bloss.
