Derrick Howard, Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced For Illegal Possession of Revolver Discovered After Crashing Into a Police Cruiser

Friday, August 1, 2025

WASHINGTON – Derrick Howard, 30, a previously convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison in connection with being in illegal possession of a Rohm .38 special revolver when he crashed his unlicensed motor scooter into a marked police cruiser, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Howard pleaded guilty on Apr. 11, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

            In addition to the 21-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Howard to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining the announcement of the sentencing were Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to court documents, on Jan. 27, 2025, at 7:15 a.m., Howard was riding a motor scooter when he ran a red light and struck a marked police vehicle that was passing through the intersection of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road NE.

            The police officer called for assistance and reported that she had been involved in a traffic accident. A detective responded and observed that the motorized scooter had no tags, and that Howard was not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the crash. The detective ran a check and learned Howard was not licensed to drive a motorized scooter and, in addition, that the motorized scooter was not registered. The detective placed Howard under arrest.

            Howard was wearing a satchel bag around his neck. During a search incident to the arrest, officers recovered a Rohm .38 special caliber revolver from the satchel loaded with five rounds of ammunition.

            Howard’s criminal history includes previous convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon in 2021, unauthorized use of a vehicle in 2019, and unauthorized use of a vehicle in 2017.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.