Charles Washington, Jr., Repeat Felon on Probation, Indicted for Alleged Possession of Ammunition

Thursday, March 20, 2025

WASHINGTON – A federal indictment was filed today charging Charles Washington, Jr., 33, of Washington, D.C., with being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Washington was on probation at the time of his arrest.

            According to court documents, uniformed members of the MPD’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit responded at 4:05 p.m. on March 12 to the 2800 block of Alabama Ave. SE for reported firearms. Multiple individuals, including Washington, were gathered near a grey car. Washington was seen leaning on the vehicle. As MPD officers arrived, Washington took off running while holding his waistband. At one point, he stopped, hunched over a sewer drain, and appeared to toss an object down the drain. The officers observed Washington was no longer holding his waistband. Shortly after discarding the item, the defendant tripped and officers apprehended him. Officers went to the sewer drain, lifted the manhole cover, and recovered a black “ghost gun,” a privately made firearm with a Polymer 80 frame, with an attached Glock 23 slide and barrel, loaded with 12 rounds and one in the chamber.

            Washington was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and also previously convicted of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 25.

            This case is being investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            This case is part of Make DC Safe Again, a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District.

            An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.