Crime History: D.C. Mayor Barry busted with cocaine

On this day, Jan. 18, in 1990, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine at the then-Vista International Hotel downtown. FBI agents caught Barry on camera smoking crack cocaine with former girlfriend Rasheeda Moore, who agreed to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for a reduced sentence on an earlier drug conviction.

“The bitch set me up!” Barry yelled as police hauled him away. The incident played repeatedly on television.