Source: Office of United States Attorneys
WASHINGTON – Frederick Etheridge, 16, of Washington, D.C., was charged today as an adult under Title 16 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, in connection with a spree of armed offenses taking place between October 2024 and January 2025 in D.C. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to documents filed in court, Etheridge has been charged in relation to an armed carjacking in October 2024 and an armed robbery in January 2025. First, in the late evening on October 25, 2024, Etheridge and a second suspect approached the victim in a parking lot in the 2800 block of Erie Street Southeast. The victim had just parked their vehicle and, while sitting inside of the vehicle on the phone, was approached by Etheridge and the second suspect at gunpoint. Etheridge demanded the victim’s phone and directed the victim to give their car keys to the second suspect. Etheridge then demanded that the victim unlock their phone, and said something to the effect of, “Don’t make me kill you.” The victim complied and handed over their unlocked phone and vehicle keys. Etheridge and his co-conspirator then drove off in the victim’s vehicle, headed in the direction of Naylor Road Southeast. When police arrived, the victim was able to track their Apple Watch and locate their vehicle in the rear of the 2800 block of Buena Vista Terrace, Southeast.
Second, on January 3, 2025, in the early morning, the victim parked their vehicle and began to walk away. Etheridge and a second suspect walked up to the victim, and Etheridge brandished a large black firearm. Etheridge and the second suspect then grabbed the victim’s property and ran to the victim’s car in an attempt to carjack the vehicle. However, Etheridge and the second suspect were unable to enter the vehicle because they did not have the victim’s keys, and instead fled from the location with the victim’s bag, credit cards, and other property.
On February 19, 2025, members of the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) executed a court-authorized search warrant at Etheridge’s residence. While executing the search warrant, a member of MPD observed Etheridge throw a black rifle out of his bedroom window. Etheridge was soon thereafter arrested and charged for multiple offenses.
Etheridge was presented in court today and ordered detained. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 27, 2025.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein is prosecuting the case.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.