WASHINGTON - Reginald Johnson, 31, of Philadelphia, P.A., pleaded guilty, today, to involuntary manslaughter (criminal negligence) and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a vehicular homicide. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the Government’s evidence, on Jan. 15, 2023 around 6:10 p.m., Reginald Johnson drove his Jeep eastbound into the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest and 15th Street, N.W crashing into an Uber driver in a Toyota Corolla who was turning left across eastbound traffic lanes onto 15th Street, NW. Mr. Johnson reached a speed of 61 miles per hour shortly before the crash, more than twice the 25 miles per hour speed limit. Mr. Johnson told an officer that he saw the car turning but thought it was stopping, sped up, and struck the car towards its tail end.
Reginald Johnson had been drinking alcoholic beverages at Mission Bar from approximately 1:24 p.m. to 5:46 p.m. before choosing to get behind the wheel. His breath alcohol content was at 9:20 p.m. was 0.10 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. D.C. Code § 50-2206.01 defines intoxicated as “An alcohol concentration at the time of testing of 0.08 grams or more … per 210 liters of the person’s breath…"
On June 30, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, to involuntary manslaughter (criminal negligence) in the death of one passenger, Carlos Christian, and assault with a dangerous weapon in the injury of another passenger, Camila Selman. Superior Court Judge Robert Okun scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 13, 2023, at which time the defendant faces a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of Detective William Lee and others from MPD’s Major Crash Unit who investigated the case in Washington, D.C. They also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter, of the Homicide section, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys