Convicted Felon Who Fled Police at High Speed in a Stolen SUV Sentenced for Possessing a Loaded Machine Gun

           WASHINGTON – Jamal Fleming, 32, of Washington D.C. was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a loaded machine gun as he led police on a chase in a stolen SUV while under the influence of cocaine. Fleming crashed the vehicle into a utility pole and then attempted to elude officers on foot before becoming stuck in a fence. The conviction, which is Fleming’s third for possessing an illegal firearm, involves a weapon that had been modified into a fully automatic machine gun.

           The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Fleming pleaded guilty on March 8, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition to the 46-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Fleming to serve 36 months of supervised release. 

           On October 11, 2023, at about 10 p.m., Prince George’s County police observed a black Jeep Grand Cherokee driving in the 4200 block of 58th Avenue in Bladensburg, Maryland. The officers were aware of a recent rash of commercial armed robberies in the county involving a black Grand Cherokee. The officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The SUV fled, pursued by police by several police cruisers. MPD’s Falcon helicopter also followed the SUV as it entered Washington, D.C. About five miles from the start of the pursuit, the SUV crashed into a utility pole in the alleyway behind the 4200 block of Eads Street NE. Leaving the SUV running, Fleming jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, dashing through an alleyway, until he was caught on a fence where officers apprehended him.

               Fleming crashed the SUV into a utility pole following a five-mile high-speed chase.

           Officers searched Fleming and recovered a key fob to the SUV that they used to unlock it. Inside the SUV, officers found a black Glock 29 loaded with 16 rounds of 10mm ammunition. The weapon was outfitted with a “switch,” which converted the gun into a fully automatic firearm, and a laser sight. Later DNA testing linked the firearm to Fleming. Officers determined that the SUV had been stolen the week before from an automotive repair shop in Beltsville. 

Officers discovered a loaded Glock -- outfitted with a laser sight and a “switch” that made the weapon fully automatic – on the floor of the SUV on the driver’s side. 

           Fleming has been barred from possessing a gun since 2016 after he was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm. On May 5, 2022, Fleming was driving when he was stopped by police. He had an open bottle of champagne in the vehicle’s cupholder, a bag containing more than a pound of marijuana, cocaine, pills and a Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun. On December 12, 2022, Fleming was sentenced to five years in prison with all but one year suspended, along with three years of supervised probation. In October 2023, at the time of his most recent arrest, Fleming was still on probation.

           This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer.

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