A 19-year-old D.C. man will spend 16.5 years in prison for an armed robbery spree that targeted 10 pedestrians on Capitol Hill in December 2024.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur sentenced Dereon Butler on Monday, Aug. 31, after Butler pleaded guilty on June 4 to three counts of armed robbery. Arthur also ordered five years of supervised release following the prison term, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Butler was 17 at the time of the robberies. He was charged as an adult under D.C. Code Title 16, a provision that allows juvenile defendants to face adult prosecution.

According to the government's evidence, Butler and unnamed co-conspirators drove a stolen gray Kia Sorento and a stolen red Lexus sedan into a Capitol Hill neighborhood early on the morning of Dec. 2, 2024. They planned to find and rob commuting pedestrians at gunpoint.

Ten pedestrians were approached at multiple locations across the neighborhood. Eight had a firearm pointed at them. The victims lost wallets, purses, cell phones and other belongings.

Butler fled before police arrived.

He was arrested July 22, 2025, and has remained in custody since.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll jointly announced the sentence. Pirro said Butler and his co-conspirators deliberately targeted innocent residents, holding eight people at gunpoint and stripping all 10 of their valuables. She noted that Butler was just 17 when the crimes occurred and said this kind of violent conduct has no place in the community.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Levy prosecuted the case. MPD investigators handled the investigation, and both Pirro and Carroll commended their work.

The co-conspirators referenced in the case have not been publicly identified, and their charges and case status were not disclosed in the announcement.

Anyone with information about related crimes can contact MPD at 202-727-9099 or text anonymously to 50411.