A federal indictment has been filed against Charles Washington, Jr., 33, of Washington, D.C., for allegedly being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. The 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 members of the MPD’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit responded to a report of firearms at 4:05 p.m. on March 12 in the 2800 block of Alabama Ave. SE. Multiple individuals were present near a grey car, including Washington who was seen leaning on the vehicle. As officers arrived, Washington fled while holding his waistband. He stopped at one point to hunch over a sewer drain and appeared to toss an object into it. Officers noted he no longer held his waistband afterward. Following this action, Washington tripped and was apprehended by officers. They retrieved a black "ghost gun" from the sewer drain—a privately made firearm with a Polymer 80 frame and Glock 23 slide and barrel—loaded with 12 rounds and one in the chamber.
Washington has prior convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and for being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. A detention hearing is set for March 25.
The case is under investigation by both the MPD and ATF, with prosecution handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
This case falls under Make DC Safe Again, an initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin aimed at reducing violent crime in the District through increased resource allocation.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.