In a terse end to a case that rattled the DC area, 25-year-old Cahlyl Rollins received a prison sentence of five years following a series of bombings targeting financial establishments and stores, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In accordance with the announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Rollins and his accomplice, W Garrett Bragg, were implicated in the detonations that laid waste to ATMs and storefronts, causing substantial financial damage. Bragg is already serving an 84-month sentence as of May 20, 2025.
Rollins, assuming the role of the primary operative during the spree, was the "trigger man" each of the four locations, where he handled the explosives from ignition to deployment, while Bragg appeared to collaborate in what seemed to be a trial run for a novel robbery technique, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The pair utilized a metallic Acura bearing Maryland plates, but the authorities have found the vehicle elusive since the bombings. In a plot twist, the involved license plate, never officially registered to any vehicle, has turned up on different cars linked to further criminal activities.
The seriousness of the attacks is underscored by the damages cited in court records, with the Bank of America and Truist Bank branches experiencing extensive destruction to their facilities, incurring tens of thousands in repairs—over $35,000 at Truist alone. The bombardment of the Nike Store and a Safeway supermarket not only shattered infrastructures but instilled a fear in those who frequent and manage such community fixtures.
A search warrant executed at Rollins’ residence unveiled a trove of suspicious items, including a modified vehicle and burglary equipment. Notably, among Rollins’ collection of footwear, police identified a pair of Crocs that he had been recorded wearing during the crime spree. Law enforcement’s search of a storage unit linked to Rollins also unearthed a staggering array of license plates, ammunition, and additional burglary tools—all symptomatic of a broader pattern of premeditated criminal intent. Rollins and Bragg were apprehended in late 2023 and early 2024, respectively, as detailed in a U.S. Attorney’s Office report.
The collective effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI, and the Metropolitan Police Department underlines the severity of the case and the cross-agency coordination required to quell such threats to public safety. Prosecutors Benjamin Helfand and the former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer and Alexander Schneider carried the weight of the judicial proceedings.
