Vernon Pernell Hendrick, 33, who has multiple convictions on his rap sheet, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for carrying a Springfield Armory model 1911 semi-automatic handgun, one of the most powerful handguns on the market, authorities announced on Wednesday.
According to court documents, Hendrick – while on active supervised release for previous crimes – was stopped by members of the Metropolitan Police Department who sought to question him in October 2022 outside a grocery store in the 1500 block of Alabama Avenue SE.
While speaking with him, prosecutors say that the officers noticed an L-shaped protrusion from an object tucked in Hendrick’s black satchel.
“Hedrick became wide-eyed, wiped sweat from his forehead, then tore off in a sprint,” they said. “Police chased after Hendrick on foot and caught him in 20 seconds.”
Inside the satchel, officers recovered the semi-automatic military-grade handgun loaded with nine rounds, as well as two additional magazines with another 13 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition.