Following an altercation at a local bar that escalated into a violent confrontation, 25-year-old Duarte Santos was sentenced to prison yesterday. According to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement, Santos, from Washington, D.C., received a 13-year sentence in Superior Court for assault and firearms charges, detailed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Santos had entered a guilty plea on April 24, 2025, to charges including aggravated assault while armed and possession of a firearm during violence. The verdict, delivered by Judge Brandt Rainey of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, also includes a 5-year supervised release after his incarceration. The sentencing follows an incident on July 5, 2024, at a bar located at 3521 14th St NW, where an argument between Santos and other patrons led to gunfire.
On the night of the incident, Metropolitan Police Department officers reviewed surveillance footage from the bar that captured Santos' actions. The video unveiled Santos engaging in a verbal altercation with two individuals at the establishment before a physical fight broke out. Santos then armed himself with a handgun from his waistband and discharged the weapon. After leaving briefly, he returned to shoot at the two men he had previously argued with and at a bar employee who had confronted him.
One of the victims realized he had been shot after Santos opened fire and sought medical attention at a hospital. Santos was arrested the same night in response to the scene and has remained in custody ever since. The investigation led by the Metropolitan Police Department under Chief Pamela Smith was instrumental in the case's resolution. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Pericak Ginsburg and Anthony Cocuzza were commended by Pirro and Smith for their prosecutorial efforts, as noted in the official announcement.
