Convicted felon pleads guilty in gunpoint robberies of five DC restaurants

A gunpoint robbery spree that hit five Washington restaurants put front-of-house workers in the crosshairs, with one Subway on Pennsylvania Ave. SE hit twice and employees forced to hand over cash under threat of a firearm.

David Andrew Williams, 32, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty Monday before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to Hobbs Act robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 1, 2026.

Court documents say the robberies took place on July 3, 2024, Dec. 29, 2024, Dec. 30, 2024, Jan. 14, 2025 and Feb. 3, 2025, moving across Southeast and Northwest Washington and landing on familiar chains that many workers know by their registers and closing routines. The restaurants named in the federal case include Subway on the 3200 block of Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Manny & Olga’s Pizza, Chipotle on the 3200 block of Pennsylvania Ave. SE, and a Dunkin Donuts on the 800 block of Quincy St. NW.

In the first Subway robbery, Williams allegedly pulled a handgun from his bag and took about $100 in cash plus the till coins. In the second Subway robbery, he again drew a handgun but left without taking the change. In one incident, he wore a surgical mask. In another, he pointed the pistol at an employee and said, “You need to open the cash register.”

For restaurant workers, the case is a blunt reminder that late-night service is not just about labor shortages and tight margins. It is also about who is left on the floor when a cash drawer is open, how exposed a counter can be to a walk-in threat, and how fast a normal close can turn into trauma for the people running expo, taking orders and counting change.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said the robberies used a firearm to “terrorize restaurant workers and undermine the safety of our neighborhoods,” and said her office would continue working with law-enforcement partners to prosecute violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law. The guilty plea moves the case closer to resolution, but the sentence still pending in September will determine the final outcome for a spree that left five restaurants and their workers looking over their shoulders.