Washington Gunman Jailed for Pointing Firearm at Cabbie

⏱ 3 min read

A brazen crime in the nation’s capital: Erick Blanco-Cordova, 24, pointed a firearm at a taxicab driver in November 2019. The driver, who’d picked up Blanco-Cordova and his co-defendant Lesly Taracena in Arlington, Virginia, was forced to flee in fear after Taracena pulled a gun on him. The gunman and his accomplice had ordered the driver to take them to Union Station in Washington, D.C., then skipped out without paying the fare.

The Metropolitan Police Department stopped the pair after the victim reported the incident. Officers found a .40 caliber handgun on Blanco-Cordova and arrested both men. Taracena was later convicted of conspiracy to commit an armed crime of violence and sentenced to five years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro praised the work of the MPD in investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari handled the prosecution.

On January 16, 2026, Blanco-Cordova pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Robert Salerno sentenced him to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.