Wednesday, March 22, 2006; B02

stadium land

A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered yesterday that the final parcel of land for the new baseball stadium be surrendered to the D.C. government by April 4, which will give the city full control of the 20 acres needed for the project.

Judge Joan Zeldon told Robert Siegel, who owns several adult-oriented businesses at the site, that he must turn over possession, even though he had been fighting to remain on the property. The city seized his property and several others through eminent domain last fall, but Zeldon's order was necessary for the city to take possession.

Also yesterday, owners of a trash transfer station agreed to turn over their property to the city. However, the trash company, Siegel and other property owners who were previously ordered by Zeldon to vacate by Monday are expected to continue fighting for more money from the city.

-- David Nakamura

A 42-year-old man killed over the weekend in a botched robbery attempt while carrying a pizza in the District was targeted for his money, not his food, authorities said.

Domingo Reyes of the 900 block of Shepherd Street NW was approached by a gunman about 1:20 p.m. Sunday in the 1300 block of Randolph Street NW. The assailant demanded money, but Reyes refused to give him any, police said. Police initially had said that the attacker demanded Reyes's pizza and other items.

During the attempted holdup, Reyes called friends over to help him. They chased the fleeing assailant into an alley, police said. When the assailant pointed a gun at the group, Reyes said he thought the gun was a toy and walked toward the robber, according to police. The gunman then fired a single shot into his face and ran away.

Police urged anyone with information to call detectives at 202-727-9099. Police offer rewards of up to $25,000 for information leading to convictions in homicide cases.

-- Del Quentin Wilber

Two D.C. police officers seized a submachine gun during a traffic stop of a stolen car in Northwest Washington over the weekend, authorities said yesterday.

Officers James Antonio and Jose Morales were on patrol Saturday afternoon in the 3200 block of Hyatt Place NW when they spotted a stolen Toyota Camry. When they tried to pull the car over, the driver turned into a dead-end alley.

Police said they arrested two men and a teenage girl in the car. They recovered the submachine gun, which had been stolen from a gun shop in Newport News, Va., in 2002, police said.

Irvin Harris, 19, of the 1300 block of Columbia Road NW, and Deonte Bethea, 22, of the 1400 block of Chapin Street NW, were charged with carrying a pistol without a license and unauthorized use of a car. The 13-year-old girl was charged as a juvenile with the same offenses.

-- Del Quentin Wilber