Prisoner in Escape at Inova Fairfax Sentenced to 32 Years in Prison

The man who led police on a chase after escaping custody at Inova Fairfax, Wossen Assaye, was sentenced Friday to 32 years in prison, according to a news release from the FBI.

The sentence for the 43-year-old Arlington man will be followed by five years of supervised release for two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, with both counts based on his armed assaults of two security guards during his March 31 escape from the hospital.

Also read: Manhunt: Escaped Prisoner in Custody

Assaye was also ordered to pay restitution of $34,870 for the 12 bank robberies, and was ordered to undergo drug testing and treatment in addition to a mental health evaluation and treatment.

Assaye pleaded guilty on July 23. According to court documents, Assaye accepted responsibility for not only the firearms offenses, but also additional criminal conduct for which he was charged or suspected to be responsible.

Beginning in October 2013 and continuing until March 2015, Assaye robbed various banks in Northern Virginia on 11 occasions, two of which were armed robberies, according to the FBI.

In another instance, Assaye entered a bank with the intent to commit bank robbery and larceny. After being arrested for his crimes, Assaye escaped from federal custody while at a Virginia hospital for treatment. During the course of his escape, Assaye assaulted a security guard, overpowered her and took her firearm. He then pointed the firearm at a second guard before pulling the first guard down the hospital hallway at gunpoint and fleeing the hospital.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police; Earl L. Cook, Alexandria Chief of Police; Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff; and Mary Gavin, Falls Church Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Judge Brinkema.