A D.C. Superior Court judge sentenced a 27-year-old Washington man to five years in prison Friday, Aug. 28, for a planned gunpoint ambush.

Prosecutors had asked for 13 years. The judge imposed less than half that.

Gregory Grooms was convicted by a jury on March 30 of conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a license. Judge Deborah Israel ordered the five-year prison term followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

The attack unfolded over hours.

On the night of Aug. 6, 2024, Grooms and an unnamed accomplice drove to the parking lot of the victim's apartment building. They waited in Grooms' car for more than three hours, according to evidence presented at trial. At 1:12 a.m. on Aug. 7, 2024, minutes after the 31-year-old victim stepped outside to have drinks with a woman in front of the building, Grooms and his accomplice approached.

Both men pointed handguns at the victim, then repeatedly struck him in the head and face with the weapons, leaving him bloodied. The assault continued for several minutes as the three moved into the apartment building lobby and into an elevator.

Inside the elevator, Grooms and his accomplice forced the victim to strip at gunpoint. They then walked him out of the building naked from the waist down.

A week later, on Aug. 14, 2024, police stopped Grooms while he was driving. Officers found a handgun under the driver's seat. Grooms was arrested that day and has been in custody since.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement that the government had sought the maximum under sentencing guidelines because of the calculated nature of the attack. Pirro said five years does not reflect the full severity of what Grooms did to his victim. The U.S. Attorney's Office said it respects the court's decision.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Roberts and investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Interim MPD Chief Jeffery Carroll joined the sentencing announcement.

The accomplice who participated in the attack has not been publicly identified. The U.S. Attorney's Office did not name the accomplice or describe any related charges in its announcement.