Demontra Harris, 31, of the District of Columbia, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for unlawful possession of a .40 caliber pistol and 17 rounds of ammunition. The sentencing took place on October 24, 2025, and was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Harris pleaded guilty on April 15, 2024, to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Harris to serve three years of supervised release.
Court documents state that on March 1, 2024, around 10 p.m., officers noticed a black Toyota RAV-4 run a red light while responding to an unrelated incident. A detective saw the vehicle lose control and crash on the 1800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Harris was identified as the only person in the car and left the scene after abandoning the vehicle.
At the crash site, police found a Glock 22 pistol with an extended magazine on the driver’s seat and an open bottle of tequila. Officers also discovered one shoe near the driver’s side along with identification documents—driver’s license, ID card, and rental agreement—all bearing Harris’s name.
Shortly after the crash, officers saw a man nearby wearing one shoe matching the other found in the vehicle. Harris was arrested at that time.
Authorities determined that Harris had previous felony convictions for weapons offenses. As such, he is barred from possessing firearms under federal law.
The Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar prosecuted it with assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Schneider and Rachel Craft.
“This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.”
