A routine fare check on a Washington, D.C. Metro bus ended with a federal prison sentence for a man who climbed aboard carrying a loaded, stolen shotgun. Gerald Anthony Evans, 30, a District resident, was sentenced on April 13, 2026, to 21 months in federal prison after admitting he boarded a WMATA bus with the weapon. Evans pleaded guilty in January to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. The arrest, which prosecutors say began when a transit officer spotted Evans boarding without paying, has highlighted growing concerns about weapons on public transit.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Evans, who has also used the nickname “Big Woobie G” in filings, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13, 2026, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. The office said the case was investigated by the Metro Transit Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Bloss.
“Gerald Evans boarded a public bus in the District of Columbia carrying a loaded, stolen shotgun, which he admitted was his,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in the release. Pirro noted Evans had roughly 23 prior law-enforcement encounters and said his actions would carry consequences.
What happened on the bus
Court papers state that on Dec. 10, 2024, a Metro Transit Police officer watched Evans get on WMATA Bus 5476 without paying his fare and directed him to step off. Officers then asked about a black satchel tucked under his coat. Evans reportedly replied, “that’s my gun,” and a search turned up a Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12-gauge shotgun loaded with one round in the chamber and three in the magazine. A serial-number check showed the shotgun had been reported stolen, as reported by Daily Voice.
A long record
Court filings and reporting outline a long history of run-ins with law enforcement. Evans was arrested in 2013 in an armed carjacking case and later pleaded guilty to attempting to commit robbery. He was convicted of second-degree assault in Prince George’s County and received a partly suspended 10-year sentence, and in April 2016 he pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree sex offense in Prince George’s County. He violated probation in 2022 and served 18 months, and prosecutors say he has repeatedly failed to register as a sex offender. “Evans finds himself in a familiar position, having nearly two dozen encounters with police,” the reporting noted.
Federal law and penalties
Evans’ conviction falls under the federal felon-in-possession framework at 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which bars certain people, including convicted felons, from possessing firearms, as summarized by Cornell Law School. Penalties for violating that prohibition are set out in 18 U.S.C. § 924, which can include up to 10 years of imprisonment, according to Cornell Law School. The U.S. Sentencing Commission notes that sentences for § 922(g) offenses vary widely based on criminal history and other factors.
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