TYSONS, Va. — A D.C. rapper accused of firing shots inside a crowded mall over Father's Day weekend pleaded guilty to four charges in court on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Noah Settles, who goes by the name "No Savage" in YouTube videos viewed millions of times, fired three shots in the middle of Tysons Corner Mall on June 18, 2022, sending hundreds of shoppers running for their lives. No one was shot.
The 23-year-old rapper entered guilty pleas for three charges of malicious discharge in an occupied dwelling and one firearm charge. He was facing three other charges related to the shooting, but those charges were dropped as a result of the plea agreement.
Even though Settles entered guilty pleas Thursday, he is not admitting guilt. Under the agreement, he is acknowledging that if the case went to trial, the Commonweath's Attorney's office had enough evidence to convict him.
Prosecutors played new video in court Thursday, which showed a rival group in white shirts. The prosecution says in the video you can see the white-shirt group taunting Settles, and Settles responds, "I'm going to crush you."
In a second video played Thursday, Settles is seen walking around a kiosk with a gun in his hand, as families shop nearby. You then see him raising the gun and firing three times.
"This is somebody who came into our county and shot up a mall where families are," Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said. "I know I got into that mall with my 11-year-old daughter all the time."
Police said Settles had been in a fight earlier with rival D.C. gang members. In an earlier court hearing, defense attorney Peter Greenspun said if Settles fired those three shots, it was merely reckless, not malicious, as prosecutors alleged.
On Thursday, Greenspun said the group in white shirts were the aggressors in the case.
"His reaction was to find a way to get away, and that's when the shots were fired," Greenspun said.
The videos are pieces of evidence Descano's office would have shown to jurors if the case reached trial.
"This is a really, really great outcome," Descano said. "Guaranteed accountability -- we don’t have to take any risks in trial. The judge has plenty of room to craft an appropriate sentence for how egregious this conduct was."
Under the plea deal agreement, Settles faces up to 33 years in prison; the minimum sentence for the crime is three years. He is expected to be sentenced on June 23, 2023.