Adult teen who allegedly open-fired on DC street granted pre-trial home arrest

An 18-year-old adult male in Washington, D.C., has been granted home arrest even though he allegedly fired dozens of shots on a city street, severely endangering the public.

Just before 2:30 a.m. on April 22, 18-year-old Amonte Moody apparently ran out of his residence and onto an area of Independence Avenue SE located about a mile and a half east of the U.S. Capitol. Moody, who was reportedly carrying an AR-15, then fired many shots down the street, footage from two Ring cameras indicated.

Though camera footage does not show the suspect's intended target, reports suggest that Moody was aiming at a vehicle carrying four passengers. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident.

When police arrived, they reportedly recovered 26 empty shell casings on the street and a disassembled AR-15 stowed away in the ceiling of Moody's residence. Moody was then arrested and later charged with felony endangerment with a firearm and possession of a firearm with a crime of violence.

Despite the violent nature of the incident and the incriminating evidence collected by investigators, on May 3, Magistrate Judge Lloyd Nolan granted Moody pre-trial release and home arrest in nearby Maryland. Nolan ordered Moody to wear an ankle bracelet and to avoid all contact with the vehicle passengers he allegedly tried to harm.

In an interview with Blaze News, Denise Krepp — a D.C.-area attorney who once served as the chief counsel for the U.S. Maritime Administration under President Barack Obama — called Nolan's decision to release Moody "insanity."

Krepp also told Blaze News that D.C. judges have the discretion to remand violent suspects to jail but, all too often, they opt to release them, placing their personal interests above public safety.

"Where are the grown-ups?" Krepp asked rhetorically about the D.C.-area justice system. "Where are the real grown-ups?"

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. is likewise outraged at the judge's decision. On Monday, prosecutors requested an emergency hearing in hopes of reversing the decision to release Moody.

"The defendant unloaded an AR-15 into the middle of a public, residential street. The defendant fired 26 rounds, littering the street with shell casings. Anyone who happened to walk into that street at that moment could have been killed as an innocent bystander. Everyone in the car the defendant targeted was at risk. Every resident of that street was at risk," the USAO's filing read in part.

A hearing regarding Moody's pre-trial status has been scheduled for Tuesday.

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