Bruce R. Hart, a 31-year-old resident of the District of Columbia with a prior felony conviction, was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing and firing a loaded pistol while on supervised release. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who also ordered Hart to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Hart pleaded guilty on September 26, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and endangerment with a firearm in a public place. According to court documents, on October 26, 2024, at approximately 9:45 p.m., Hart fired one round from a handgun into the air while accompanied by two other men on the 1800 block of Wiltberger Street NW. Surveillance cameras captured the incident as the group fled north.
A police officer later identified Hart about one block away from where the shooting occurred. At around 10:43 p.m., when officers attempted to stop him, Hart ran through traffic across Florida Avenue but was apprehended after a brief pursuit on Bohrer Street NW. Officers recovered a loaded firearm with a large capacity magazine from his waistband.
Hart’s previous conviction stems from an armed robbery in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He was sentenced there on November 29, 2023, to ten years in prison with nine years and six months suspended and three years of supervised probation.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Washington Field Division). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Green and Brendan M. Horan prosecuted the case.
“Bruce R. Hart…was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 34 months in federal prison for his unlawful possession of a loaded pistol and a 28-round capacity magazine while he was on supervised release for a Maryland robbery,” announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.