D.C. Felon Harris Gets 24 Months for Abandoned Gun

WASHINGTON – Demontra Harris, 31, a repeat offender from the District of Columbia, is headed back to prison. Harris was sentenced October 24, 2025, to 24 months behind bars for illegally possessing a .40 caliber pistol and 17 rounds of ammunition. The contraband was discovered after Harris bailed from a wrecked vehicle following a late-night crash, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Harris pleaded guilty back on April 15, 2024, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta didn’t just stop at the two-year sentence, tacking on an additional three years of supervised release once Harris eventually gets out.

The mess started March 1, 2024, around 10 p.m. Officers, initially responding to an unrelated matter, spotted a black Toyota RAV-4 blowing through a red light. A detective witnessed the vehicle lose control and slam into something on the 1800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Harris, the sole occupant, didn’t stick around to explain things, abandoning the totaled RAV-4.

A quick search of the wreckage revealed a Glock 22, .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine brazenly sitting on the driver’s seat, alongside a nearly drained bottle of tequila. Officers also found a single shoe inside the vehicle, along with a D.C. Driver’s License, a D.C. identification card, and a rental agreement—all bearing the name “Demontra Harris.” It didn’t take long for officers to spot a man nearby wearing only one shoe, a perfect match to the one left in the wreckage.

Harris’s arrest revealed a history of weapons convictions, automatically disqualifying him from legally owning a firearm. This wasn’t a simple mistake; it was a calculated risk by a known felon. The case was built by the dedicated work of the Metropolitan Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, with crucial support from Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Schneider and Rachel Craft.

Grimy Times Editor’s Note: This case remained sealed due to a recent federal government shutdown. The press release was issued and made public following the resumption of normal government operations.

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