Thursday, March 28, 2024

WASHINGTON – The Honorable Errol Arthur sentenced Eric Vaughn, 21, of Washington, D.C., to nine years in prison in connection with an armed robbery in Northwest Washington, D.C., an armed carjacking in Northeast Washington, D.C., and a robbery that occurred in Southeast Washington, D.C. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In February of 2024, Vaughn pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to robbery, carjacking, and attempted robbery. According to the government’s evidence, on November 13, 2023, at approximately 3:57 p.m., Vaughn and three other suspects followed the victim from the Shaw Metro station to the 1700 block of 7th Street, Northwest. Vaughn, and the three other suspects, all of whom were wearing masks, approached the victim and demanded the victim’s shoes, while one or more of the suspects pointed a firearm at the victim.  After the victim complied and his shoes were taken, Vaughn and the other three suspects ran down a nearby alleyway.

            The government’s evidence also established that at approximately 7:00 p.m. on November 13, 2023, Vaughn and the three other suspects emerged from a dark, wooded area and approached the victim, who was standing at the back of their car in the parking lot of the Costco located at 2441 Market Street, Northeast. When Vaughn and the three other suspects approached the victim and demanded the keys to the victim’s car, one or more of the suspects Vaughn was with, pointed a firearm at the victim.  When the victim complied, Vaughn took the victim’s car keys and entered the driver’s seat, while the other three suspects also got into the car. Vaughn then drove the victim’s vehicle out of the Costco parking lot. When police attempted to stop the carjacked vehicle near the intersection of 17th Street, NE and C Street, NE, Vaughn refused to pull over and fled from police. An MPD helicopter followed the vehicle as the vehicle fled from police until the vehicle came to a stop in the 100 block of Chesapeake Street SW. At that point, Vaughn and the other three suspects fled from the scene. Vaughn was apprehended nearby and placed under arrest.

            Additionally, on June 28, 2023, in the 2500 block of Alabama Avenue SE, Vaughn, acting alone, attempted to rob the victim of their cellphone. Specifically, the victim was seated aboard a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Bus when Vaughn approached the victim and snatched the victim’s cell phone out of their hands. Vaughn then ran off of the Metrobus with the victim’s cell phone.  

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Rashmika Nedungadi, who investigated and prosecuted this case.