A Washington, D.C., man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a string of armed robberies and carjackings committed in early 2022 in Montgomery County and Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Azriel Echavarria, 22, a member of the Kennedy Street Crew, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Jan. 26 to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce, conspiracy to commit hijacking and armed robbery, according to a release from U.S Attorney’s Office. Court documents show Echavarria admitted to participating in two armed carjackings, armed robberies of six individuals and another five robberies of businesses and/or their employees, according to the release.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell sentenced Echavarria to 192 months in prison and an additional 60 months of supervised release.
According to Montgomery County police, Echavarria was arrested in March 2022 and later charged for a series of crimes that took place between February and March of that year. Joenathan Nelson, then 25, of Washington, D.C., was also arrested by county detectives in March 2022 in connection to the same criminal activity.
On Jan. 12, 2024, a third individual – 26-year-old Tyrell Stewart of Washington, D.C. – was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty for his involvement in the crime spree.
The release did not include the status of Nelson’s charges.
According to county police, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery on Feb. 20, 2022, at the 7-Eleven in the 3500 block of University Boulevard West in Kensington. The three suspects involved – later identified as Echavarria, Nelson and Stewart – allegedly arrived at the store after stealing a vehicle from Live Oak Drive in Silver Spring.
At the store, the men revealed handguns and demanded an employee remove money from the cash register, according to a police press release. One round was fired into the store – which did not hit anyone – before one of the robbers stole a customer’s key fob, allowing the men to flee in two separate vehicles.
Soon after, police said, the trio allegedly robbed the Food Stop Mini Mart in the 4000 block of Boiling Brook Parkway in Rockville at gunpoint before firing another round – which also did not hit anyone – and fleeing the scene. The police news release said one of the vehicles stolen Feb. 20 was later used during a Feb. 26 armed robbery in the District.
Echavarria and Nelson were identified and eventually arrested following another alleged carjacking and two more armed robberies on Mar. 2, according to the police release. According to county police, the first robbery took place after 4 a.m. at the intersection of Cameron and Spring streets in Silver Spring. A firearm was pointed at the head of a man, who was then robbed. Soon after, police said, Echavarria and Nelson allegedly stole money and property from the 7-Eleven located in the 11000 block of Georgia Avenue.
Detectives determined the identities of Echavarria and Nelson after reviewing surveillance footage and both were arrested in March 2022. Stewart was identified at a later date.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, government evidence shows that Echavarria, Nelson and Stewart are members of the Kennedy Street Crew, “a violent street gang that operates in the Kennedy Street neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C.” that is “among the largest crews in the District based on both territory and its vast membership.”
