Attempted homicide charges were dismissed Tuesday against an Allegheny County man who was charged with firing shots at three New Kensington police officers.
J’Lamar J. Washington, 21, of Duquesne pleaded guilty to lesser counts of aggravated assault in connection with the Feb. 4, 2020, incident on Kenneth Avenue. Authorities said as many as nine shots were fired at a van in which three city police officers rode as they searched for suspects in an unrelated incident.
Police said the van’s windows were shot out, and one round struck the back of the driver’s seat headrest. None of the officers were injured in the shooting.
Washington pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and a weapons offense as part of a deal with prosecutors. In return, Washington was sentenced to serve five to 10 years in prison and an additional five years on probation. He faced up to 40 years in prison if convicted at trial of the attempted homicide charges and three additional counts of assault against law enforcement officials.
“The prosecution recognizes this is a way of holding the defendant accountable as well as recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of this case,” Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said.
Washington was arrested with a co-defendant more than three months after the shooting. Following a three-day trial in early 2022, a Westmoreland County jury acquitted a 21-year-old Greensburg man of all 11 counts he faced in connection with the shooting.
A witness testified he saw Washington with guns just before the shooting. Meanwhile, the defense attorney argued to jurors that witness was not reliable and suggested it was he and not the two men who were charged who fired the shots at police.
Defense attorney Valerie Veltri said Washington chose to accept a plea deal rather than risk a potentially lengthy prison sentence if convicted at trial.
“It’s apples and oranges, and this is a different fact pattern,” Veltri said of the co-defendant’s trial. “He (Washington) was looking 20 to 40 years in prison if convicted at trial. They dropped the serious charges.”
Washington was 17 when he was arrested and has served nearly four years in prison since his arrest. He will be eligible for parole in May 2025.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.