WASHINGTON, D.C. — A 32-year-old man will serve more than five years behind bars after stabbing another man during a fight over a hat in Chinatown, prosecutors announced Monday.
Tanade Warsame was sentenced following the attack that took place around 7:15 p.m. on May 4 near an alley in the Chinatown neighborhood. Court documents revealed that the victim and Warsame agreed to settle a $10 debt involving a hat through a fistfight, but Warsame instead pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the man in the chest.
The victim managed to run to nearby police officers while holding his shirt over the wound, telling them he had been stabbed for ten dollars.
He was treated at a local hospital, where he explained he had purchased the hat the day before and had not yet paid Warsame the remaining $10.
Fight turned slashing attack
Investigators said the victim entered the alley ready to fistfight but Warsame lunged with a downward slashing motion, causing a chest wound.
Warsame was on release in another legal matter at the time of the stabbing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, resulting in a prison term of more than five years.
No additional details about Warsame’s prior release conditions were made public.