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Press Release

District Man Sentenced To More Than Four Years In Prison For Stabbing Man At Southeast Washington Apartment Building-Defendant Was On Probation For A Drug Offense-

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia

     WASHINGTON – David E. Harris, 32, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a prison term of four years and two months for stabbing a man earlier this year at an apartment building in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Harris, also known as “Bam Bam,” was found guilty by a jury in August 2013 of charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury, carrying a dangerous weapon, and felony threats. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Harris was sentenced Oct. 22, 2013 by the Honorable Robert I. Richter. Upon completion of his prison term, Harris will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, at about 8:30 p.m. on March 9, 2013, Harris approached the victim, who was entering an apartment building in the area of 16th and V Streets SE. Harris grabbed the victim by the shirt, brandished a knife, and stabbed him twice. The victim, who managed to flee, received more than 20 stitches for his stab wounds. Earlier in the day, Harris had unfairly accused the victim of stealing a drug stash he hid in the area and threatened to kill him. The victim notified police and returned to the area. Harris, who was on probation at the time for a drug conviction, was arrested four days after the stabbing.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lynette Briggs, Lynda Randolph, Tony Griffith and Todd McClelland; Information Technology Specialists Claudia Gutierrez and Anisha Bhatia; former intern Taylor Jones, and David Foster, James Brennan, Michael Hailey, and M. Laverne Forrest, all of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Selden, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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Updated February 19, 2015