Melvin Smith Pleads Guilty to D.C. Convenience Store Spree

Armed with threats and a mask, Melvin Smith, 45, of Washington, D.C., terrorized six convenience stores in just over four weeks this summer, robbing cash at knifepoint—or what clerks believed was a gun. Smith pleaded guilty today in Superior Court for the District of Columbia to three counts of robbery, admitting his role in a violent crime spree that left store workers shaken and neighborhoods on edge.

Smith’s string of hold-ups began in the early hours of August 19, 2016, when he stormed into a 7-Eleven at the 1200 block of Brentwood Road NE, demanded the cash register, and fled with $50. Less than three weeks later, on September 6, he struck again at a 7-Eleven on Second Street NE, reaching into two registers and stealing $430. By then, the pattern was clear: Smith moved fast, spoke little, and left clerks fearing for their lives.

On September 10, Smith escalated. He entered a 7-Eleven on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE, flashing what staff believed was a handgun on his right hip. He demanded access to the register and escaped with an unknown sum. Two days later, at the 6 & Q Market in Northwest D.C., Smith wore a mask and, when denied access to the register, ripped the entire unit from the counter and ran—cash and all.

Smith returned to the Second Street NE 7-Eleven on September 13, now brandishing what appeared to be a silver firearm. He took approximately $100 before vanishing. His final known robbery occurred on September 18 at a 7-Eleven on Bladensburg Road NE, where, again masked and armed with what the clerk described as a dark-colored gun, he emptied both registers and fled.

Smith was arrested the next day, September 19, 2016. Police recovered a distinctive mask and bandana tied directly to the robberies through surveillance footage. He has remained in custody since. While Smith pleaded guilty to the August 19, September 6, and September 12 robberies, prosecutors cited all six incidents in court, underscoring the breadth of his crime wave.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced the plea and praised the Metropolitan Police Department for their swift investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Barker, who prosecuted the case, secured the guilty plea ahead of Smith’s scheduled sentencing on January 11, 2017, before the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Sentencing could carry significant prison time, reflecting the violent nature and repeat pattern of the crimes.