A shooting defendant accepted a plea offer before DC Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur on July 15.
Serrel Wagoner, 22, was originally charged with aggravated assault knowingly while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in a non-fatal shooting outside of a McDonald’s on March 9 on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to his thigh.
At the hearing, Wagoner accepted a plea offer that required him to plead guilty to aggravated assault knowingly and carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business. In exchange, the prosecutors agreed to dismiss the initial charges against Wagoner and not seek a grand jury indictment with greater or additional charges. Wagoner will be required to register as a gun offender for two years after his release.
Prosecutors said that if the case had proceeded to trial, they would have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Wagoner rode a rented Lime E-bike to the McDonald’s, looking for a specific person.
They continued that Wagoner approached the restaurant on foot, fired multiple shots toward the entrance, striking a bystander in the upper right thigh, then fled on the E-bike. Investigators later linked Wagoner to the E-bike through rental records and GPS data, which provided his home address.
The prosecution added that CCTV video footage was also recovered from the crime scene and shown to Wagoner’s mother. When shown a photo of her son, she responded, “Yeah, that’s sure him,” and she recognized the clothing he wore.
Wagoner is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25.
