The D.C. man charged in a shooting last summer at Tysons Corner Center mall that sent terrified shoppers fleeing for cover entered an Alford plea Thursday on four felony counts.
Noah Settles, 23, entered the plea Thursday in Fairfax County Circuit Court on three felony counts of maliciously discharging a weapon into an occupied building, and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
In an Alford plea, a defendant acknowledges there is enough evidence for a conviction but doesn’t admit guilt.
Settles, faces a minimum of three years and a maximum of 33 years behind bars when he is sentenced in June.
Settles was due to go on trial Monday and would have faced a maximum of 45 years if convicted.
No one was wounded in the gunfire, but the June 18 shooting sparked a panic as shoppers and mall employees ran for the exits and sheltered in place in nearby stores. Three people were taken to the hospital with other injuries , and the mall was closed for about 24 hours.
“I can think of few more serious crimes than this: taking a gun and firing into a crowded, public space, endangering the safety of our community members and visitors, disrupting public life, and threatening their future sense of safety,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steven Descano said in a statement Thursday after the plea hearing. “Today’s outcome guarantees accountability for every piece of this incident.”
Authorities said Settles was captured on mall surveillance cameras brandishing the gun and pulling the trigger.
The surveillance video was played in the courtroom Thursday during the plea hearing. Prosecutors said it showed Settles approaching four people wearing white shirts before some type of verbal confrontation ensued. Settles left the group twice before coming back and opening fire, prosecutors said.
In a news conference at the time of the shooting, Fairfax County police Chief Kevin Davis said the shooting was the result of a “beef” between two rival D.C. crews, who encountered each other on the mall’s second floor that Saturday afternoon.
“It started with words; it ended up with a pushing and shoving match and then a display of a firearm,” Davis said. “And then, just minutes later, three shots ring out … three shots in a crowded mall.”
Settles is a rap artist who goes by the name “No Savage.” His music videos have racked up millions of views on YouTube, and police said he also apparently livestreamed his arrest.
Settles’ defense attorney Peter Greenspun had previously argued that Settles was being threatened and was acting in self-defense when he opened fire and that did not fire at anyone specifically.
He also said Settles was overcharged and should have only been facing misdemeanor charges.
WTOP’s Megan Cloherty and Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
