An 18-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Thursday to an attempted carjacking. after attacking an unmarked government vehicle containing two members of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security team.
Kentrell Flowers was arrested earlier this month after approaching the driver’s door of an unmarked car, which was parked on Sotomayor’s block in Washington, D.C., and pointing a firearm at the window.
One of the two deputy U.S. marshals in the car shot Flowers about four times, hitting him in the mouth, before giving him first aid, according to court documents. He was transported to the hospital for treatment and placed under arrest.
Flowers has pleaded not guilty to all six charges he faces, including assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license. He appeared in court on Thursday, wearing an orange jumpsuit and a blue surgical mask over his mouth, although his lawyer spoke on his behalf.
Sotomayor is not mentioned in Flowers’ court filings and there is no indication that the attack targeted her. Two other unknown suspects were involved in the attempted carjacking, one of whom fled the scene in a stolen minivan and a second who fled on foot, prosecutors said.
In court filings, Flowers’ attorney emphasized that the teenager did not know the vehicle he was targeting was government property and had no criminal record. He said Flowers is just a few credits away from graduating high school and has not been able to see her first child, who was born shortly after the incident.
Flowers’ family also attended the court proceedings to show support.
“As a result of the alleged conduct, Mr. Flowers was shot in the mouth and almost died. There could not be a more shocking experience for an 18-year-old,” said Maria Jacob, the public defender representing Flowers, in court proceedings. “This experience will undoubtedly dissuade him from violating any conditions of release or from repeating any alleged conduct.”
Prosecutors, however, said the “pure nature” of Flowers’ conduct, aided by two other unknown suspects, and possession of a loaded firearm necessitated his detention pending trial.
“Simply put, there are no conditions or combination of conditions that ensure the safety of our community,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Cole wrote in court documents.
Previously, U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya granted prosecutors’ request to detain Flowers before trial, concluding he posed a danger to the community.
At a hearing last week, Upadhyaya noted that he had analyzed “countless cases” of armed carjackings in the nation’s capital, calling them a “serious and growing problem.”
There were several high-profile carjackings in the nation’s capital last year, with victims including U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates. The attempted break-in of an unidentified Secret Service vehicle last year also caused agents protecting President Biden’s granddaughter to open fire, although no one was hit.
“This one, I suspect, will stand out to me for a long time,” Upadhyaya said at the hearing.
Zach Schonfeld contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
