NJ rapper “P-Dice” sentenced to 5 years after shooting at pregnant woman and taunting police
In a video, he filmed himself firing a gun into the air in a residential neighborhood, captioning it, “Can’t find me... Police. Y’all never gonna find me.
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A Clifton rapper known as “P-Dice” will spend more than five years in federal prison after opening fire on a pregnant woman and later posting social media videos taunting law enforcement.
Justin Pope, 38, was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Pope previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to two counts of unlawfully possessing ammunition as a convicted felon.
The case stems from a violent dispute on the evening of July 12, 2023, in a public parking lot in Clifton. Surveillance footage captured Pope arguing inside a vehicle with a pregnant woman. According to court documents, the woman briefly grabbed Pope’s gun during the dispute, struck him in the face and got out of the vehicle.
As she tried to leave, Pope pointed the firearm and fired two close-range shots at her. One bullet crossed the street, struck a quick-service restaurant and lodged in a menu display behind the counter while employees were inside.
Pope then got out of the car, grabbed at the woman’s arm as she tried to escape back inside and eventually climbed over her to kick her out of the vehicle.
The following day, Pope went on the run and posted multiple videos to social media mocking law enforcement. In one expletive-filled video, he filmed himself firing a gun into the air in a residential neighborhood, captioning it, “Can’t find me... Police. Y’all never gonna find me.” A later video showed him driving while again taunting police.
Hours after the second video appeared, law enforcement tracked Pope to New York City, where he was arrested while trying to board an out-of-state bus. Authorities said Pope was brandishing a weapon at transit employees just before his arrest.
At the scene, officers recovered a loaded 9mm ghost gun, a privately made firearm with no serial number, equipped with a large-capacity magazine. Ballistics later matched the weapon to shell casings recovered from the Clifton parking lot shooting.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer condemned Pope’s actions, saying his conduct showed a complete disregard for public safety.
“The defendant’s brazen and violent conduct could have cost lives,” Frazer said. “Pope fired multiple shots at close range at a pregnant woman in a public parking lot and took to social media to taunt law enforcement as he continued to endanger the community.”
Records show Pope was legally barred from possessing ammunition or firearms because of a prior New Jersey felony conviction for aggravated assault tied to the shooting of a child.
