TYSONS, Va. — He already had millions of views on YouTube, but D.C. rapper “No Savage” is now known to Fairfax County Police by his given name, Noah Settles. The 22-year-old, wanted by police for allegedly firing a gun three times inside a crowded mall over Father's Day weekend, turned himself in Wednesday night.
Tysons Corner Center was evacuated and temporarily closed Saturday after the sound of gunfire on the second floor sent shoppers scurrying. No one was injured in the shooting but police say three people were treated for injuries that happened while the mall was being evacuated.
At a press conference Thursday, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said the mall's "investment in public safety" contributed to their ability to quickly identify Settles. Surveillance video shows Settles aiming a gun at someone he was in a fight with.
Davis said a fight began inside the mall between two D.C. gangs: the 37th Street Crew and the Simple City Crew, originally from the Benning Heights neighborhood. Police said Settles is a member of 37th Street.
"The 37th street crew members on this particular Saturday were dressed in black and the Simple City guys were dressed in white," Davis said. "We know they know each other. What starts as a look, or a gesture, or a smirk, or an eye roll, turns into a verbal altercation, and then words turn into pushing and shoving."
Davis said even the "pushing and shoving" wouldn't have been ideal, but resorting to gunfire made it "unacceptable."
DC Police said these two gangs have been responsible for murders since the early 1990s. But Davis believes it was a coincidence that brought the two gangs into the same mall.
"I can’t speak to the nature of the conflict other than it’s young men, with a lot of anger and other societal issues that contribute to where they are in life -- that’s not always their fault -- but they are armed all too often and unfortunately in this case, resorting to firearms to settle a petty dispute is what gets us here today," Davis said.
He reiterated that he believes Tysons Corner is a safe place, and noted that his department has officers assigned to the mall 365 days a year, 24/7. Davis said no other arrests have been made in the case, nor has the gun used been recovered, and he asks anyone with information to come forward.
Settles faces multiple charges, including attempted malicious wounding, discharging a weapon into an occupied building and use of a firearm in commission of a felony, according to police. He has two previous gun possession arrests on his record. He's being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.