She didn’t know it at the time, but the stranger who busted in her door in the middle of the night — while shouting madness — was a high-ranking diplomat of a foreign embassy, court documents obtained by 7 On Your Side allege.
“MADAM, MADAM! IT’S YOU, IT’S YOU!” Those were the words the female resident along Tulip Drive in Gaithersburg awoke to at 2:20 a.m. on a Friday in late January. The woman went to her front door, and cracked it open, thinking it was merely a friend, family member or neighbor in need of assistance.
“That is when the suspect tried to bumrush the door, forcing entry into the house, hitting [the victim] with the door as he did,” court documents state, noting the victim was still “foggy” from being awoken unexpectedly. “[The victim] stated that the suspect broke the panel of the door but she was able to force him back and lock the door.”
The suspect, later identified as Macmillan Moyana, 35, of Beauvoir Court in Derwood, continued to shout “MADAM” from outside the home as the victim dialed 911. He then allegedly went window to window, banging on them loudly while the victim spoke with dispatchers.
“[The victim] believed she and her two young children were in grave danger and feared for their lives,” court documents add. “[The victim] thought the suspect would break a window as he banged on them, gaining entry before help would arrive.”
A K9 unit located Moyana in a woodline adjacent to the victim’s home. He was reportedly “screaming and yelling” while running around. Officers ordered the 5-foot-8, 180-pound man to the ground, and then placed him in handcuffs. Officers conducted a “show up” where they asked the victim to positively identify Moyana as the man who tried to invade her house.
“When [the victim] saw the suspect, her body language changed all over again as she stated, ‘That’s him!'” court documents recount.
Moyana was booked at the Montgomery County Detention Center on charges of home invasion, second-degree assault, third-degree burglary, reckless endangerment, and trespassing. All five counts carried a combined total of up to 50 years in prison. Within hours, a court commissioner granted Moyana a $10,000 unsecured personal bond. That allowed the accused felon to walk out of jail without putting down any money.
EXCLUSIVE: A high-level diplomat with the Embassy of Zimbabwe was arrested after forcing his way into a Gaithersburg home at random, police sources tell me.
35yo Macmillan Moyana faced up to 50 years in prison. Prosecutors, however, dropped all charges bc of diplomatic immunity.
MORE: Reached by telephone today, a woman at the Embassy of Zimbabwe confirmed Moyana has returned to the African nation of 14 million.
Moyana had been working as the embassy counselor, which is often the second or third highest-ranking position within a diplomatic mission.
97:31 PM – Mar 5, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacySee Kevin Lewis’s other Tweets
According to court documents, Moyana is the counselor of the Embassy of Zimbabwe, a title he had held for approximately a month at the time of his arrest. Ediplomat.com describes an embassy counselor as “a senior diplomatic title, ranking just behind an ambassador and a minister.” In fact, in many smaller embassies, the counselor is the “number two man,” Ediplomat.com further noted.
In a February 14, court filing, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office stated it had “decided not to go forward with prosecution.”
“Please set the above-captioned case on the docket on the earliest possible date for the entry of Nolle Prosequi,” the document, signed by Assistant State’s Attorney Kathy Knight, reads.
Spokesman Ramon Korionoff confirmed to 7 On Your Side that prosecutors dropped all charges against Moyana due to diplomatic immunity. Korionoff did not immediately respond to a question about what steps, if any, prosecutors typically take after abiding by diplomatic immunity, such as potentially notifying the U.S. Department of State about the criminal allegations.
Reached by telephone Thursday afternoon, a woman at the Embassy of Zimbabwe — located along New Hampshire Avenue in Northwest D.C. — stated Moyana recently returned to the African nation of around 14 million people. She declined to answer any other questions.
“Moyana is in Zimbabwe. That’s all in can say,” the woman stated before ending the phone call.
It is unclear if Monyana was under the influence of drugs or alcohol on the night of the alleged incident.
