DC mayor supports criminal charges for armed suspect with ‘ghost gun’ punched by police in viral video

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday that she believes the suspect seen in a viral bystander video in possession of a "ghost gun" on his waistband as police repeatedly punched him in the face should have been criminally charged. 

Three officers with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department are facing criminal and administrative investigations after a video showed one of them repeatedly punching a 23-year-old suspect in the face, while the other two officers held him against a fence while placing him under arrest. 

The suspect was found to have a fully loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his waistband, which the D.C. Police Union affirmed was a "ghost gun," meaning the firearm wasn’t marked with an individualized serial number, making it more difficult to track by law enforcement.  

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is still reviewing whether the three suspended officers will face criminal charges – though charges against the 23-year-old have been dropped, Fox 5 DC reported. He was facing drug-related, illegal possession of a firearm and resisting arrest offenses.