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Press Release

Maryland Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Role in Armed Robbery Spree

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

           WASHINGTON – Jharrod Armstrong, 21, of Capitol Heights, Md., was sentenced today to seven years in prison stemming from his role in several armed robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Armstrong was found guilty on January 22, 2018, following a plea in the D.C. Superior Court before the Honorable Todd E. Edelman. Armstrong was convicted of one count of armed robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and two counts of carrying a pistol without a license, stemming from three different incidents that occurred in 2016 and 2017. Following his prison term, Armstrong will be placed on three years of supervised release.

           On September 16, 2016, law enforcement stopped Armstrong in the 1400 block of Columbia Road, N.W., Washington, D.C and discovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber firearm in his undergarments (case 2016-CF2-15164).

           Less than a year later, Armstrong committed two armed robberies on July 2, 2017 (case 2017-CF3-13635). At approximately 12:35 a.m., Armstrong encountered one victim in the 4500 block of Arkansas Avenue N.W., pointing a firearm at him and forcing him to give Armstrong his cell phone and change the phone’s password. Armstrong fled in a recently stolen silver BMW SUV. Less than 10 minutes later, Armstrong pointed a firearm at a different victim in the 1400 block of Fort Stevens Drive, N.W., forcing the victim to hand Armstrong his wallet. Armstrong fled in the same silver BMW SUV. The BMW was located the following day parked in a handicapped parking spot in front of 1127 Girard Street N.W. Inside of the vehicle, law enforcement later located a BMW manual, which had a fingerprint on it that belonged to Armstrong. Armstrong was identified by the first victim through a presented nine-person photo array.

           Law enforcement also learned that Armstrong had a pending arrest warrant issued on July 19, 2017, from Prince George’s County, Md. for first-degree murder. MPD apprehended Armstrong on the same day. Police found a Taurus .45 caliber firearm underneath Armstrong’s compression shorts.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, and Chief Newsham commended the assistance provided by officers of MPD and the Prince George’s County Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who prosecuted the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar of the Felony Major Crimes Section.

Case Numbers:

17-CF3-13635

17-CF2-12397

16-CF2-15164

Updated July 1, 2019

Press Release Number: 19-100