DC Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean granted pre-trial release to a carjacking defendant on July 10 based on claims that his detention was unjustified by the facts.
Zyon Prince, 18, is charged with unarmed carjacking for allegedly stealing a moped, a motorized bicycle, on March 24 on the 1100 block of T Street, NW.
According to court documents, two suspects assaulted the victim and stole his scooter, which was tracked and recovered using a hidden Apple Airtag. Prince was found in the vicinity of the incident, wearing clothing similar to the description an eyewitness gave police. The identity of the second suspect is still unknown to law enforcement.
Defense attorney Raymond Jones asked Judge McLean to release Prince based on a March motion contesting statements from a Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) representative at Prince’s preliminary hearing. The PSA representative said Prince failed to complete a Deferred Sentencing Agreement (DSA) and had been removed from supervision, but Jones said Prince had reportedly completed the DSA.
According to Jones, the prosecution ignored his motion and made inaccurate representations to DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum that led him to detain Prince.
The prosecution opposed Prince’s release, arguing that the carjacking was a violent act against a complete stranger, and releasing Prince was a risk to public safety.
Jones rebutted, claiming the prosecution was exaggerating key evidence.
“The government’s case is not as strong as they’d like to believe,” said Jones.
Jones argued that nothing shows Prince took the moped. He said police body-worn camera footage merely showed Prince walking past the moped multiple times, and claimed the prosecution was charging Prince for having been nearby. .
Judge McLean interrupted Jones’ arguments to say she was granting the motion for release, having been sufficiently persuaded.
Prince was released with GPS monitoring, on the condition that he stay away from the victim and the location where the offense occurred.
Parties are slated to reconvene August 25.
