Tariq Lassiter, 28, Sentenced for Ammunition Conspiracy After Gunfire Struck Police Vehicles

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

WASHINGTON – Tariq Lassiter, 28, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced to 13 months in prison today in U.S. District Court after directing his girlfriend to buy rifle ammunition and a 60-round capacity magazine the day after shots were fired at police vehicles in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

Lassiter pleaded guilty before Judge Amir H. Ali to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully transfer ammunition to a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.  Federal prosecutors requested 21 months in prison. 

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of March 29, 2023, detectives with the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) were driving unmarked vehicles in the 300 block of 37th Street SE, tracking a carjacked vehicle.  While circling the area, one detective reported his vehicle was struck by gunfire.  Nine rounds were fired at the passing officers from a nearby apartment building.  One detective’s vehicle was struck by gunfire, though no officers were injured. Investigators later recovered assault rifle casing rounds from the scene. 

Hours after the shooting, Lassiter—a convicted felon who lived in the building directly above the apartment where shots were fired—texted his co-defendant and girlfriend, Ashanti Crider, directing her to take him to a gun store. The pair drove to H & F Arms LLC in Alexandria, Virginia. While Lassiter waited outside in the car, Crider entered the store and purchased a box of Tulammo 7.62 ammunition, a box of .40 caliber ammunition, and a 60-round capacity AK-47 magazine. During the transaction, Crider called Lassiter on FaceTime from inside the store to confirm the correct ammunition. 

On April 4, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the vacant apartment used during the shooting. Inside, officers recovered empty packaging for the exact brand of 7.62 ammunition and the 60-round AK-47 magazine that Crider had purchased for Lassiter. 

Ashanti Crider is set to be sentenced on September 30, 2026. 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie. 

The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and Prince George's County Police Department. 

25-cr-0153