A 17-year-old Washington, D.C., resident is headed to prison for 12 years after prosecutors said a two-day run of armed robberies and carjacking escalated into violence inside juvenile detention. Makai Bridges committed the crimes at 16, then pleaded guilty after investigators tied him to a bus-stop robbery, a group carjacking and an assault involving other detainees.
Two Northeast Attacks In One Week
The first alleged attack came around 2 a.m. on May 1, 2025, near 3rd Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE, where Bridges and another suspect confronted a woman waiting for a bus, according to Daily Voice. Prosecutors said both suspects appeared to have firearms, with one pointing a weapon at the woman’s head while the other pressed one against her stomach before they took her purse and cellphone and threatened to kill her if she called police.
Six days later, prosecutors said Bridges joined four accomplices in confronting a driver at 1430 Otis Street NE. One suspect displayed what appeared to be a firearm, the group demanded the driver’s keys, and all five fled in the stolen vehicle before officers attempted a traffic stop, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The driver refused to stop, eventually crashing into a tree box near the 1200 block of 3rd Street NE. The suspects ran from the wreck, but officers caught Bridges after a foot chase, while the other four escaped the immediate arrest, federal prosecutors said.
Violence Continued At DYRS
Bridges’ alleged violence did not end with his arrest. While held at the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services Youth Services Center, he and seven other detainees rushed past staff members and attacked three juveniles being escorted through the housing unit, as reported by Daily Voice.
Staff restrained Bridges, but prosecutors said he continued struggling in an effort to get back into the assault. The detention-center incident became a key part of the government’s argument that the teenager remained a danger even after being taken off the street.
12-Year Sentence And Five Years Supervision
Bridges pleaded guilty in March to carjacking, robbery, possession of a prohibited weapon and simple assault. On Friday, Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld imposed the maximum 12-year sentence requested under the sentencing guidelines, followed by five years of supervised release, the Justice Department said.
The case arrives against a complicated backdrop for Washington. In testimony to the D.C. Council, the Metropolitan Police Department said violent crime fell 29% in 2025 and carjackings dropped 55%, from 349 in 2024 to 158 in 2025, even as juvenile arrests increased for assaults with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault, simple assault and illegal gun possession, according to MPD testimony.
