Woman arrested after gunfire erupts on 8th Street following late-night altercation
WASHINGTON, DC — A late-night confrontation inside a Southeast DC establishment turned violent when a woman allegedly pistol-whipped another woman before firing a shot outside, police said.
The incident happened just after midnight on Sunday, December 28 on the 400 block of 8th Street SE. Investigators say the suspect and victim got into an argument inside a venue when security intervened to defuse the situation. But the violence escalated once the victim left the establishment.
That’s when the suspect reportedly approached her again, struck her in the face with a handgun, then walked a short distance away and discharged the weapon, damaging nearby property before fleeing the scene.
Following a weeks-long investigation, Ashleigh Hale, 35, of Southeast DC, was arrested Wednesday on an arrest warrant issued by the DC Superior Court. She is charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun).
No injuries from the gunfire were reported, though the shooting caused damage to property in the area. The nature of the dispute between the two women has not been disclosed.
The arrest brings closure to a case that rattled the typically busy stretch of 8th Street near Barracks Row, a popular corridor of bars, restaurants, and shops.