A man who shot another man outside a Clarendon bar in 2023, then fled the country and slipped out of custody once already during an international manhunt, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Taha Zouheir was sentenced on October 23 in Arlington Circuit Court to 17 years of incarceration followed by three years of probation, according to the Arlington County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
The case began on June 4, 2023, when Zouheir got into a verbal argument with another man outside a bar in Clarendon, per the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. According to prosecutors, Zouheir came back about 20 minutes later wearing a motorcycle helmet and a motorcycle club vest, carrying a handgun, and approached the man and his friends in a nearby parking lot. As reported by Daily Voice, witnesses said Zouheir then fired multiple shots at the man as he tried to flee.
Prosecutors said Zouheir kept shooting as the victim ran, with bystanders nearby. The victim was struck in the arm, torso and lower body, and one of the bullets severed his brachial artery, causing severe blood loss that required emergency treatment including a blood transfusion. More than three years after the shooting, the victim continues to suffer nerve damage, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Daily Voice had initially reported that police described the victim's injuries as non-life-threatening at the time of the shooting.
A Fast Escape and a Years-Long Chase
Zouheir did not stick around Arlington. According to Daily Voice's reporting, he fled Virginia for Florida less than 24 hours after the shooting and then boarded a flight bound for Morocco, but was arrested in Portugal before reaching Morocco, a country that does not have an extradition agreement with the United States, as noted by FOX 5 DC. Prosecutors filed an Interpol Red Notice as they worked to track him down.
Investigators ultimately linked Zouheir to the shooting through surveillance footage, witness statements and cellphone location data that tied him to the confrontation, the shooting itself and his subsequent flight, according to Patch. That evidence helped build the case prosecutors would eventually bring against him once he was back on U.S. soil — but getting him there took time.
Caught, Then Gone, Then Caught Again
Zouheir was initially apprehended in Portugal, but he escaped before he could be extradited and made his way to Spain, where he was captured a second time, FOX 5 DC reports. Accounts differ on exactly when he was finally extradited back to the United States: ArlNow reported that the extradition, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, happened in June 2025, while FOX 5 DC and Patch both reported the extradition took place in July 2025. Patch reported that Zouheir was taken into custody at Dulles International Airport upon his arrival.
The deal that brought Zouheir back from Portugal came with a catch for prosecutors. Per the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the extradition agreement with Portugal prohibited prosecutors from pursuing a charge carrying a potential life sentence, shaping the terms under which Zouheir would ultimately face justice in Arlington.
Prosecutor Reflects on the Toll
Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said the case reflects the devastating and lasting consequences of gun violence. She credited investigators, prosecutors and international partners with ensuring Zouheir was returned to Arlington to be held accountable.
Dehghani-Tafti also said her thoughts remain with the victim, whose life was permanently changed by the shooting. The case closes out more than three years after the initial confrontation outside the Clarendon bar set off a shooting, an escape, and a transatlantic pursuit that spanned three countries before ending in an Arlington courtroom.
