The Maryland man authorities say was the ringleader in a series of violent assaults last spring, in which one man was shot and two women were doused with bleach, was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years behind bars.
Naim Reed, 21, had been convicted on one count of first-degree assault and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
The sentence — nearly double what Maryland sentencing guidelines call for — came after an emotional day in court in which Reed apologized and pleaded for a second chance as his mother stood by.
The judge pointed to Reed’s criminal past as a factor during sentencing.
It all started when police said Reed and a group of friends were involved in an argument in May 2019, when they confronted a group at an apartment complex on Grey Eagle Court in Germantown.
A friend of Reed’s eventually pulled a semi-automatic Ruger handgun and tried to shoot, but when it jammed, prosecutors said Reed grabbed the weapon, fixed it and fired several rounds. A 26-year-old man who lived in the apartment was struck twice in each arm. He survived the shooting.
During the incident, one of Reed’s friends also threw a bleach-type substance into a woman’s face. She was wearing glasses at the time.
Days later, violence erupted again, this time a fight between two women, apparently orchestrated by Reed, prosecutors said. Again, one of Reed’s friends used a bleach-type substance to injure a 21-year-old woman. She was treated for chemical burns but did not suffer permanent vision loss.
Also, during that incident, prosecutors said Reed also jumped in to fight a man who tried to intervene.
During all this, Reed was on probation for separate incidents, including conspiracy to commit home invasion, conspiracy to commit robbery and theft.
In a memo to the judge filed ahead of Reed’s sentencing, prosecutors called Reed’s behavior “ridiculous,” and said his activities show he is “engrossed in a lifestyle that has and will continue to pose a threat to the community for the foreseeable future.”
In court, prosecutors played phone calls from jail of Reed threatening to “crucify” an associate who cooperated with police in his most recent case. They also pointed out the connection between the gun Reed used and separate shootings carried out by gang members in May 2019.
Moments before he was sentenced Tuesday, Reed’s mother gave a passionate plea, stressing her son’s lack of guidance, her past attempts to get him to mental health treatment since the age of 13, and her own struggles with alcohol as a contributor to his behavior.
Reed begged for a chance to redeem himself, pointing out his efforts to obtain his GED and join a rehabilitation program while being held without bond, but the judge called his life of crime “heinous” and “despicable,” saying a sentence harsher than the seven to eight years his attorney hoped for was necessary in order to “protect the public.”
“Our office is sympathetic … but Mr. Reed had many times to avail himself of the system,” said Ramon Korionoff, with the Montgomery County prosecutors office.
During sentencing, prosecutors also attempted to connect Reed to the Germantown gang, but the judge did not consider this as a factor during sentencing.
“Something that we’ve taken great pride in is attacking the crime where it happens,” added Korionoff. “With the gangs and guns that are involved with this, it’s important to take these people off the street.”
Reed will be allowed to ask the court to reconsider the sentence, as well as file an appeal.
