Detroit, MI – For the second time, a Detroit judge has dismissed all charges against 35-year-old Robert Lequan Pugh, the man accused of shooting an autistic teen who was lost and trying to find his way home after being dropped off by a ride service in the wrong neighborhood.
The case centers around 18-year-old Claude Woosck, who prosecutors say was lost near Lenox Street and East Warren Avenue on April 9. According to investigators, Woosck took a photo of an address to send to his sister so she could pick him up. That’s when two men confronted him, one allegedly being Pugh.
“Some guy came out and yelled, ‘Why are you taking pictures of the house?’” Woosck’s sister, Violet, recalled hearing over the phone. “All you heard was my brother saying, ‘Ow, ow, ow,’ and then it was complete silence.”
Woosck was shot in the back as he ran away, leaving him critically injured and at risk of paralysis.
Pugh was originally charged with:
- Assault with intent to murder
- Assault with intent to do great bodily harm
- Carrying a weapon with unlawful intent
- Three counts of felony firearm
Those charges were first dismissed in May by 36th District Judge Ronald Giles, citing insufficient evidence. Prosecutors refiled the case in September, but after another preliminary hearing Monday, Judge Giles again dismissed all charges without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile them later if more evidence is found.
“We’re in the same spot that we were when we were here last time,” Giles said before throwing the case out again.
During the hearing, testimony grew tense when a key witness recanted parts of an earlier police statement and admitted she was under heavy medication that affects her memory. The judge also noted that no one actually saw the shooter, and video evidence only showed a person running away, not who fired the gun.
Adding to the confusion, Woosck’s testimony changed between hearings. In the first, he said he was frisked by two men before being shot. Later, he said an unknown person shot him in the back twice while he was walking.
Judge Giles further stated that the court had never been informed of Woosck’s autism diagnosis prior to testimony. When prosecutors tried to raise it, Giles stopped them, saying it wasn’t relevant at that point in the case. Prosecutors argued that his diagnosis could explain inconsistencies in his recollection.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office says it will review the case once again.
For now, all charges remain dismissed, again.