Four Teenagers Plead Guilty to Multiple Charges Arising from Two Carjackings and Armed Robbery

            WASHINGTON – Four teenagers, all from Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from a series of violent crimes committed earlier this year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            The four defendants were charged as adults because of the nature of the crime. They include Darius McNeal, 17, Deandre Bullock, 16, Deonta King, 17, and Javon Coe, 17. The pleas took place in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            McNeal pled guilty to two counts of armed robbery.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of nine to 10 years in prison. Bullock pled guilty to one count of carjacking, one count of carrying a pistol without a license, and one count of robbery.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison.  King pled guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of armed robbery.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison.  The Honorable Todd E. Edelman scheduled a sentencing hearing for these defendants for July 20, 2018.

            Coe pled guilty to one count of carjacking, one count of robbery, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of nine to ten years in prison.  The Honorable Robert A. Salerno scheduled his sentencing for July 20, 2018.

            McNeal, Bullock, King, and Coe pled guilty to an incident that took place shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2018, at the Benco Shopping Center located at East Capitol Street SE and Benning Road SE.  According to the government’s evidence, the victim parked his Jeep Compass in front of a carry-out restaurant at the shopping center and went inside the store to pick up food.  As the victim returned to his vehicle and got back into the driver’s seat, McNeal, Bullock, King, Coe, and another individual approached his vehicle.  McNeal approached the passenger side.  Bullock, King, and Coe approached the driver side and worked together to pull the victim from the driver’s seat of his vehicle, drag him to the ground, and assault him.  King took the victim’s keys from his hand.  Coe, who had a handgun, tried to take the victim’s cellphone, but the victim refused to let go of it.  McNeal, Bullock, King, Coe, and another individual got into the victim’s vehicle and drove away. 

            McNeal, Bullock, and King also pled guilty to an incident that took place at about 6 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2018, near Johnson Middle School in the 3100 block of Bruce Place SE.  According to the government’s evidence, McNeal communicated with the victims about buying a pair of shoes through the application OfferUp and told the victims to come to the school.  When the victims arrived, McNeal and another member of the group approached them and asked to see the shoes for sale.  One of the victims showed the shoes and asked for the money.  King and Bullock then approached.  Bullock was wearing a mask and had a black and silver handgun with a laser sight on it.  Bullock ordered one of the victims out of the car and to the ground at gunpoint.  King ordered the other victim out of the driver’s seat of the car, demanded her car keys, and took her phone.  One of the victims struggled with Bullock over the gun, while the other defendants told Bullock to “shoot him.”  The gun went off, firing one round that hit McNeal in the leg.  The victims ran away, and McNeal, Bullock, King, and another individual got into the victims’ vehicle and followed them.

            Finally, Coe also pled guilty to an incident that took place at about 4:15 p.m. on March 9, 2018, in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE.  Coe, who was with a group of people, approached the victim, who was a classmate, and put him in a chokehold.  The victim was able to throw Coe to the ground.  Coe then got up, pulled a gun from his waistband, racked the slide, and pointed it at the victim, ordering him to turn over whatever he had. Coe took the victim’s iPhone 6 Plus before fleeing.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff.