Ayshuan Treyvon Couther, 27, pleaded guilty in October to several firearm-related felonies and misdemeanors after Norfolk Police found him with two stolen firearms earlier this year during a shooting investigation.
Police began investigating a shooting that occurred in May. Using assistance from the victim and the Flock license-plate reading system, detectives identified a gray Honda Accord as the suspect vehicle. Authorities issued an alert for officers to be on the lookout for the car. On May 26, patrol officers spotted Mr. Couther driving the gray Accord on Dunkirk Avenue. After activating their lights and siren, officers announced they were detaining Mr. Couther. He exited the vehicle and fled but was apprehended after a brief chase.
A search warrant for the vehicle led investigators to recover a Glock pistol and Mr. Couther’s Virginia identification card from the center console, as well as a Mini Draco AK-47 pistol from a backpack inside the car. The Glock had been reported stolen in Newport News and was equipped with an extended magazine and auto sear, which qualifies it as a machine gun under Virginia law because it allows multiple rounds to be fired with one trigger pull. The Draco had been reported stolen out of Virginia Beach. Mr. Couther has prior felony convictions that prohibit him from possessing firearms.
On October 29, Mr. Couther agreed to plead guilty to charges including possessing a stolen firearm, possessing a trigger activator, possessing a machine gun, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm, and driving without a license. Under his plea agreement, he faces up to two years and two months in prison; prosecutors withdrew an additional charge as part of the deal. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise accepted the plea agreement and scheduled sentencing for January 9, 2026.
“I commend the work of the Norfolk Police in finding and arresting Mr. Couther and taking two stolen and dangerous guns off of our streets,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I also note the vital role that the Flock license-plate-reader system plays in helping solve crimes that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible to solve. Mr. Couther, having previously been convicted of felonies, should never have possessed any guns, let alone an automatic pistol, and we have held him accountable for his wrongful and dangerous actions.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Liane Galardi is prosecuting the case; Detective Andrew J. Jowdy led the investigation.
