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Press Release

District Man Sentenced To 3 1/2-Year Prison Term For Breaking Into Northwest Washington Pizza Restaurant-Employees Tackled Mask-Wearing Defendant, Held Him Until Police Arrived-

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednessday, May 22, 2013

     WASHINGTON - Leon W. Bailey, 44, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a prison term of 3 ½ years for breaking into a pizza restaurant and trying to take money from the cash register, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

           Bailey pled guilty in March 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to second-degree burglary.  He was sentenced on May 21, 2013 by the Honorable Rhonda Reid Winston. After his prison term, Bailey will be placed on three years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 23, 2013, at about 4:50 p.m., Bailey, who was wearing a grey mask, entered a pizza restaurant in the 1500 block of North Capitol Street NW. An employee saw the masked man barging into the restaurant and tried to close the door to the kitchen and cash register area. Bailey, however, kicked the door and broke it open.

     Once inside the cash register area, Bailey demanded money. The employee opened the cash register and Bailey began grabbing money from the drawer.  When the employee realized that Bailey did not have any weapons on him, he called to his colleagues for help.  The other employees rushed to the front of the store and tackled Bailey.  They then struggled to hold him as he was kicking and trying to get away.  The employees were able to detain Bailey until the police arrived. Police found Bailey was on the ground, with money strewn on the floor.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the work of Victim/Witness Advocate Kristina Rose, who assisted the victims, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Truong, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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Updated May 9, 2023