A Washington, D.C. pub owner is calling attention to the city’s crime crisis after he was attacked in front of his child by a gunman who was later offered a "disgusting" plea deal and released from police custody.
Gaynor Jablonski, owner of Valor Brewpub, was attacked at 2 p.m. on June 29 while sitting in his establishment with his 4-year-old son. The suspect reportedly acted aggressively when he walked in and pulled a gun on Jablonski before pointing it at his son and one other person. Jablonski is seen on surveillance video wrestling with the suspect while his son watched.
Jablonski said on "America’s Newsroom" Thursday that he was initially told the suspect would be held in custody until his arraignment. But last Friday, prosecutors called to inform him that the suspect would be offered a plea deal which could result in a sentence of less than 24 months.
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The suspect pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He was released from custody until sentencing despite objections from the prosecutor, local media reported.
Jablonski told co-host Dana Perino he didn’t want to go to the media, but he felt he had to speak up after the deal.
"If somebody can point a gun at someone's child, a loaded gun at someone's child, and get 12 to 24 months, the message you're sending is disgusting and it's only going to make things worse," he said.
He said authorities found the gun at the scene with a bullet loaded in the chamber.
The D.C. Council passed an emergency crime bill Tuesday, making it easier for judges to keep violent criminals in custody while awaiting trial. Before the vote, Council Chair Phil Mendelson said, "You can get away with murder in this city."
Jablonski agreed, noting the suspect in his case was reportedly released with a monitoring bracelet and told to return for sentencing in early September.
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"We found out that he’s originally from Texas, and he just came to this area less than 30 days ago," Jablonski said. "So, I mean, I don't know even if he's going to show up for sentencing."
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department reported crime has increased 29 percent from the same period in 2022.
Jablonski's son was seen on surveillance video climbing on top of his dad while he tousled with the suspect. He said his son "roared like a dinosaur" as he came to the realization that the pair wasn't playing.
"He was very confused. He still doesn't really understand why it happened, what happened," he said.
"And that’s exactly why I’m doing this," he continued. "If you can do this egregious thing in the middle of the day when there's a child there and literally get nothing, almost nothing, as a punishment, why wouldn't you just continue to do it?"
"The message we're sending to anybody who wants to act like this is: come on into D.C., do it, and maybe you'll spend a year or 16 months in jail."
