Thierno Barry, a previously convicted felon from Queens, New York, has been sentenced to 77 months in federal prison for a March 2025 multijurisdictional crime spree in Washington D.C. that included a high-speed police chase, a swatting incident, and the carjacking of an elderly couple.
Barry, 23, also known as “Usman Barrie,” pleaded guilty on January 22, 2026, to carjacking, interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, and making false alarms and reports. U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered three years of supervised release in addition to the prison term, which was less than the 102 months federal prosecutors had sought.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro emphasized the danger of Barry's actions. “Thierno Barry led police on a 120-mile-per-hour chase while live-streaming the pursuit, filed a false shooting report that sent officers rushing to a sleeping family’s home, and carjacked an elderly couple on their way to the hospital,” said Pirro. “This violent and reckless conduct put countless lives at risk.”
Court documents detail that on March 31, 2025, Barry led Virginia State Police on a high-speed chase into D.C., reaching speeds over 120 mph while posting videos to social media. After abandoning his Volkswagen SUV, Barry called 911 at 1:30 a.m. to falsely report a shooting at a Northwest D.C. address, sending Metropolitan Police officers to a sleeping family's home.
Later that morning, Barry was expelled from Union Station for making shooting threats. At 3:37 a.m., he carjacked an 88-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman outside the station, physically throwing the man to the ground and threatening to kill them. He then drove the stolen Buick until a flat tire led to his apprehension by Greenbelt Police in Maryland. Barry has two prior felony convictions and seven other open cases.
The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Greenbelt Police Department, with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan prosecuting.