District Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison For Attacking Two Men in Northwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – Yeison Gomez Chavez, 18, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to an eight-year prison term for his role in a pair of attacks carried out against two men within a 90-minute period last summer, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

            Gomez Chavez pled guilty in November 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced on Feb. 3, 2017, by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Upon completion of his prison term, Gomez Chavez will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            Two co-defendants, Christian Mendoza, 18, and Ever Umanzor, 16, both of Washington, D.C., also have pled guilty to charges and are awaiting sentencing. Umanzor was charged as an adult given the serious nature of the crimes.

            The charges against Gomez Chavez stemmed from attacks on two victims. However, in a proffer of facts submitted at his plea hearing, Gomez Chavez also admitted to taking part in the attacks of two additional victims at about the same time and in the same area.

            According to the government’s evidence, the first attack took place on Aug. 29, 2016, at approximately 11:30 p.m. Gomez Chavez, Mendoza, and Umanzor arrived in front of a location in the 3100 block of 16^th Street NW. The victim rode his bicycle to this location, and was approached by Mendoza, who stood in front of him and stopped him from riding forward. Within seconds, Umanzor and Gomez Chavez rushed toward the victim and began striking him with fists and feet. Gomez Chavez also slashed the victim with a knife. While Umanzor and Gomez Chavez struck and stabbed the victim, Mendoza took and held his bicycle. The victim fled after being stabbed, with Mendoza retaining possession of his bicycle. Gomez Chavez pled guilty to aggravated assault while armed for this attack.

            The second attack took place at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2016, about 90 minutes later. Gomez Chavez and Mendoza were in front of a restaurant in the 1700 block of Columbia Road NW. The second victim exited the restaurant to check on a friend. He reported that an unknown suspect threw a rock at the back of his head and that someone stabbed him in his lower back. Gomez Chavez pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon for this incident.

            In his proffer, Gomez Chavez admitted to participating in other offenses that took place a short time later with Mendoza, although he did not plead guilty to charges from these crimes. At about 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 30, a third victim was approached and robbed at a gas station in the 2800 block of Sherman Avenue NW. The defendants approached the victim, stated that the gas station was 18th Street territory, and asked what he was doing there. The victim tried to ignore them, but the defendants assaulted him. At least one of the defendants produced a knife and ordered the victim to give them his bicycle. Finally, at approximately 2:40 a.m., Gomez Chavez and Mendoza approached a fourth victim in the 1600 block of Columbia Road NW and asked if he was affiliated with MS-13 or with the 18th Street Crew. The victim replied that he was not affiliated with any gang and attempted to flee. Gomez Chavez and Mendoza caught him, surrounded him, and forced him to stop his bicycle. At least one suspect brandished a knife, and the victim was stabbed in his right bicep. At some point, the victim was able to flee.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris, former Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Principe, and Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Donville Drummond. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso and Michael Romano, who investigated the case and handled the sentencing.