Judge Holds Defendant, Finds Probable Cause

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.

Donate Now

A DC Superior Court judge held a defendant and found probable cause for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device charges.

On April 20, Richard Little, 32, fled on foot with three other people from Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers after the officers stopped their vehicle. Little allegedly tossed an AM-15 AR pistol wrapped in a jacket in the back yard of a residence on the 100 block of 33rd Street, NE.

During the July 27 hearing, defense attorney Atiq Ahmed said there was not enough evidence that the gun recovered belonged to his client.

He said the officer, who testified during the hearing, was chasing Little’s accomplices and thus did not see what Little did prior to him being arrested by another officer.

Ahmed also asked that Little be released. He said a report from the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) mistakenly claimed that one of Little’s gun-related offenses back in 2012 involved a machine gun, which falsely indicates that Little poses more danger to the community.

The prosecution objected, saying that footage shot from an MPD helicopter shows Little discarding an object shortly after splitting up with another accomplice at the intersection of Blaine Street and Alden Street, NE.

Judge Judith Pipe said the footage was “more than convincing.” 

She also denied the defendant’s request for release, saying Little is a danger to the community, given his criminal history and his pending case for a charge in Virginia.

“Whether he had a machine gun [in the 2012 case] is irrelevant,” said Judge Pipe. “What’s important is that it’s a gun-related offense.”

Little’s next hearing is scheduled for Aug 13.