A teenage suspect was shot by US marshals on Friday after allegedly trying to kidnap Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s federal bodyguards outside her home, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed it was investigating a shooting that took place in northwest Washington, D.C., where two sheriff’s deputies were on duty working “a protective detail” in the early hours of July 5.
A deputy U.S. marshal was sitting in his car outside the superior judge’s condominium at 1:15 a.m. when Kentrell Flowers, 18, approached him, pointed a gun at him and tried to steal his vehicle, according to a police report obtained by DailyMail.com.
Local police issued a press release about the incident last week, but did not mention its connection to Sotomayor.
“The suspect exited a vehicle, approached one of the deputies and pointed a handgun at him in an apparent attempt to steal his vehicle,” a source said. DC Metropolitan Police Department Press Release saying.
‘The deputy pulled out his service weapon and fired several shots at the suspect. A second deputy from another vehicle also responded and fired his service weapon.
Deputy U.S. marshals were on duty working a protective detail near Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s home in D.C. on Friday when the incident unfolded, police said.
A police report obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that the incident took place on 11th Street in Northwest DC, where Sotomayor owns a condominium.
“The suspect was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. No law enforcement officers were injured.”
Flowers, 18, was arrested and charged with armed carjacking, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
A police report obtained by DailyMail.com revealed the location of the incident to be on a residential street in northwest DC, where Sotomayor owns a condominium, and the US Marshals Service (USMS) confirmed to DailyMail.com that the officers involved were part of her protective detail.
The report says police recovered the black and silver Smith & Wesson 40VE pistol that Flowers allegedly used in the attempted carjacking.
The Metropolitan Police Department report named the first deputy as “Deputy U.S. Marshal Black,” and did not name the second officer.
“The deputy US marshals involved in the shooting incident were part of the unit protecting the residences of the US Supreme Court justices,” a USMS spokeswoman told DailyMail.com.
‘As a general practice, U.S. Marshals do not discuss specific details regarding protective measures.
‘The USMS does not release the names of personnel involved in shooting incidents until all investigations are complete.’
A statement of facts filed in DC district court Deputy U.S. Marshal Tyler Wells said Friday that Flowers pulled up at 1:17 a.m. in a silver minivan, got out and pointed his gun through the driver’s side window of the federal officer’s unmarked car parked on 11th Street.
“The complainant pulled out the firearm that had been issued to him by the department and fired approximately four shots at Defendant Flowers through the window, striking him in the mouth,” the July 5 filing said.
‘The complainant provided first aid to Flowers, as the silver pickup truck fled the scene traveling north on 11th Street Northwest.’
The report said police recovered the black and silver Smith & Wesson 40VE pistol that Flowers allegedly used in the attempted carjacking.
Flowers was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and was arrested and charged with armed vehicle theft, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
Local police issued a press release about the incident last week, but did not mention its connection to Sotomayor.
Deputies found a silver 2017 Toyota Sienna minivan in a stolen vehicle database, but have not yet recovered the car or driver.
The shooting is being investigated by the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team, and the department said the case “will be independently reviewed by the United States Attorney’s Office.”
It’s not the first high-profile carjacking attempt in DC in recent months.
On Nov. 12, 2023, Secret Service agents stationed outside the home of President Joe Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi, opened fire on two fleeing teenagers after allegedly stealing more than $1,000 worth of equipment from a black Ford Expedition “used for members of the first family,” according to court documents.
Robert Kemp, 19, was arrested on Feb. 7. A 14-year-old accomplice was arrested later that month after another alleged armed carjacking.
An affidavit from a Secret Service agent says the boy was wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle bracelet during Naomi’s carjacking.
Last October, Congressman Henry Cuellar was kidnapped at gunpoint near his DC home by three armed robbers wearing knit hats and ski masks.
Texas Republican Cuellar was unharmed. Police eventually recovered the car.
Her phone and computer were also recovered from her white Toyota crossover, as well as the dinner she had purchased at Whole Foods.
Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, stand in the House Chamber ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s third State of the Union address in March.
“What really upset me was that they took my sushi,” the congressman told CNN at the time.
DC police reported more than 900 carjackings and more than 6,000 stolen vehicles in 2023, a marked increase from the previous year.
DC Councilwoman for the district where Sotomayor’s condo is located, Brianne Nadeau, is facing a recall vote for supporting the Defund the Police movement.
A group campaigning for his recall said Nadeau voted for budgets that “defunded the police by $15 million” and “passed laws to reduce penalties for violent crimes, illegal firearms offenses and carjackings.”
On their websiteThe Committee to Recall Brianne Nadeau points to DC crime data showing a 100% increase in homicides, a 56% increase in assaults with dangerous weapons, and a 48% increase in motor vehicle theft between 2022 and 2023.
Sotomayor bought her two-bedroom DC condo in 2012 for $660,000 and now estimates it is worth $861,480.
The New York Times Sotomayor described the area as “scruffy” in a 2013 article about her purchase, but Sotomayor said it reminded her of her roots in New York’s East Village.
“It has an East Village feel to it,” she told the paper. “I chose it because it’s a mix. I go out and see all kinds of people, which is the environment I grew up in and the environment I love.”