Ezra Griffith, a 34-year-old resident of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm on a District playground. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Griffith was convicted by a jury on September 19, 2024, for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Alongside his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Griffith to serve 36 years of supervised release.
The incident occurred on November 15, 2023, at approximately 8:40 p.m., when members of the MPD’s Fifth District Crime Suppression Team entered the parking lot of the Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast Washington, D.C. Officers observed individuals gathered inside the fenced-in playground next to the recreation center building after hours.
As officers approached, Griffith sat down on a concrete partition and moved his hands near his waistband before sprinting along the fence line inside the playground. Officers briefly lost sight of him but stopped him moments later within the playground area.
A search along Griffith's flight path led officers to recover a Glock 27 .40 caliber semiautomatic firearm loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. Griffith has two prior felony convictions in the Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license and attempted robbery.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
Police recovered a black Glock 27 .40 caliber semi-automatic loaded with 29 rounds in its magazine and one round in the chamber.