Brad Matthews | July 27, 2025
(The Washington Times) — Three District juveniles are facing federal charges as adults for their alleged roles in a robbery spree in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in December.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said Friday that in the early hours of Dec. 2, Markell Butler, 16, and Rashad Ervin and Dereon Butler, both 17, used two stolen cars, a gray Kia Sorento and a red Lexus, to target commuters.
Authorities charged the three on multiple counts of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for a robbery spree.
The first incident, an armed robbery, took place just after 6 a.m. in the 600 block of 10th Street NE. The last one, another armed robbery, occurred almost two hours later in the 600 block of Constitution Avenue NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The three are accused of approaching 10 people, pointing guns and, in some instances, imitation guns at them, and stealing wallets, purses, phones and other items. The suspects then fled the scene in a white BMW SUV before police could arrive, the attorney’s office said.
Mr. Ervin was arrested in May, the younger Mr. Butler last month and the elder Mr. Butler on Tuesday. The court filing said Dereon Butler and Markell Butler are cousins.
According to court documents, detectives were able to track down the suspects because they were arrested in Prince George’s County on robbery charges a few weeks after the Capitol Hill robbery spree.
The filing said Mr. Ervin and Dereon Butler were both nabbed Dec. 14 in the Maryland suburb and had their phones confiscated.
Police cracked into Dereon Butler’s phone and found a contact for Markell Butler inside, the document said, as well as an Instagram account with photos of Dereon Butler and Rashad Ervin wearing clothing that was worn by the Capitol Hill robbers.
The phones also revealed Dereon Butler coordinating with the getaway driver about which car he was in following the Southeast stickups. The suspect texted a friend a news article with still frames of the robbers as well.
