Ogden Market Beating: Cruz Garcia Gets 20 Years

WASHINGTON D.C. – A D.C. man will spend two decades behind bars for a senseless act of violence that left a local man dead in Northwest Washington. Alvin Alexis Cruz Garcia, 27, of Washington, D.C., received a 20-year prison sentence today for the brutal beating death of 38-year-old Ramon Gomez Yanez at the Ogden Market.

The sentence was handed down by Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman following a four-day trial that concluded on June 6, 2025. Cruz Garcia was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder while armed. Following his prison term, he will face five years of supervised release. The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park and Katrenia Shelly, hinged on stark evidence captured on surveillance footage.

The incident unfolded on the evening of March 23, 2021, at approximately 8:28 p.m. Gomez Yanez had just finished shopping at the Ogden Market, located at 1500 Ogden Street NW, and was returning to his vehicle. According to evidence presented at trial, Cruz Garcia was urinating near Gomez Yanez’s car. A brief verbal exchange escalated quickly. The market’s surveillance cameras – tragically lacking audio – recorded Cruz Garcia delivering a single, devastating punch that sent Gomez Yanez crashing to the ground.

But the assault didn’t stop there. While Gomez Yanez lay helpless on the sidewalk, Cruz Garcia continued the attack, repeatedly kicking and punching him in the head. The video showed the defendant then calmly walking away, leaving Gomez Yanez to succumb to his injuries on the scene. It was a cold, calculated act of brutality that shocked the neighborhood and sparked a lengthy investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Cruz Garcia was apprehended on June 7, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since. Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in praising the diligent work of the investigators and prosecutors who brought Cruz Garcia to justice. “This sentence sends a clear message that such violent acts will not be tolerated in our city,” Pirro stated.

The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on other instances of senseless violence plaguing the nation’s capital. The investigation highlights the ever-present danger lurking in everyday locations and the importance of holding violent offenders accountable for their actions. This was more than just a crime; it was the extinguishing of a life over a petty, disgusting act.