Pensacola Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison For Attempting To Kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy

Pensacola, Florida – Darrion K. Finley, 22, of Pensacola, Florida, has been sentenced in federal court on charges related to a shooting incident in late 2024. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentencing.

The Indictment charged Finley with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, attempting to kill an Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy to prevent certain communications, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case shows the deadly threats our brave men and women in law enforcement face every day as they fight to remove violent criminals from our communities. My office remains firmly committed to aggressively prosecuting those violent offenders, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners in the fight to keep our streets safe. Let me be clear: anyone who threatens, shoots at, or in any way harms a law enforcement officer in the Northern District of Florida will face the full might of the Department of Justice.”

Court documents reveal that on December 17, 2024, the defendant was driving in Pensacola in a stolen vehicle. When the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the defendant, he accelerated and law enforcement began its vehicle pursuit. One of the pursuing deputies executed a PIT maneuver to immobilize Finley’s vehicle, after which Finley fired a 9-millimeter pistol at the Deputy’s vehicle, striking the passenger side door of the patrol vehicle. As the Deputy and his K9 approached the defendant’s vehicle, Finley exited the car armed with the pistol, and began pointing it at the officer.  The Deputy released his K9, which lunged at Finley and prevented him from firing the pistol, after which Finley attempted to flee on foot but was immobilized and detained. Upon recovering Finley’s handgun, it was discovered that a live round had lodged in the ejection port, indicating the defendant had tried to fire the weapon a second time at the Deputy but it malfunctioned.

“Darrion Finley’s brazen attempt to murder one of our deputies during a routine traffic stop highlights the extreme dangers our officers face every single day,” said Escambia County Sheriff Simmons. “Thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of our deputy and his K9 partner, a dangerous felon is now off our streets for decades. We will continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal partners to hold violent criminals accountable and keep Escambia County safe.”

“Escambia County residents are better off with this violent man behind bars,” said Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Change Kirk Howard. “The suspect shot at law enforcement with complete disregard for the community and this sentencing sends a clear message that acts of violence against law enforcement and our community will not be tolerated.”

The case was jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Armed Felon Who Pointed Gun at Police Sentenced to Federal Prison

ATLANTA - Lee Milton Reeves, a multi-convicted felon who threatened employees and police officers at gunpoint in the bathroom of a Riverdale, Georgia restaurant, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

“This case shows precisely why convicted felons are prohibited from possessing guns,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Had Reeves pulled the trigger, this case could have ended in tragedy. My office will never stop working towards making Georgia safe by removing armed felons from the community.”

“The sentence imposed today sends a clear message to convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms: ATF’s top priority remains keeping our communities safe,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd. “ATF will continue working with our law enforcement partners to target individuals who unlawfully possess firearms.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On March 17, 2024, officers from the Riverdale Police Department responded to an emergency call about a man with a gun at a fast-food restaurant. Once there, officers found Reeves holed up in a bathroom, where Reeves pointed at gun at them. Subsequent investigation revealed that, the day before, Reeves had fired that same gun inside a trailer where a mother and daughter lived.

On March 26, 2026, Lee Milton Reeves, 40, of Mechanicsville, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Reeves pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on December 17, 2025.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Riverdale Police Department and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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Registration Start: March 12, 2026 / Registration Ends: July 8, 2026
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Teen Hitmen for Sinaloa Cartel Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

SAN DIEGO – Two teenage gang members were sentenced in federal court today to 25 years in prison for attempting to murder a target of the Sinaloa Cartel, and for the collateral death of a fellow gang member who was fatally shot during one of the failed murder attempts.

“California Senate Bill 1391 made state prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds a practical impossibility regardless of the seriousness of the crime. Then, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas recruited accordingly,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “No. No to the Sinaloa Cartel recruiting juveniles. No to the Mexican Mafia directing gangland hits in San Diego. No to a lack of consequences for juveniles who would do their bidding.”

“The sentencing of these teenagers sends a clear message: individuals who commit acts of violence, regardless of age, will be held fully accountable under the law,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to identify, dismantle, and eliminate the violent gangs, cartels, and criminal organizations responsible for this violence. FBI San Diego and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate anyone threatening the safety of our communities, including those who mistakenly believe they can exploit juveniles to carry out violent crimes without consequence.”

In issuing the court’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson likewise warned that the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican Mafia, Westside Wilmas, and similarly situated gangs “need to be put on notice that you don’t get a pass when you have a juvenile commit an offense like this.”

Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero – who were both 15 at the time of the crimes on March 26 and 27, 2024 – pleaded guilty in December 2025 to murder and attempted murder charges, admitting they were acting as hired hitmen for the Sinaloa Cartel when they made two attempts in five hours to kill the cartel’s target.

Nunez and Quintero were members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas gang from the greater Los Angeles area. They drove from Wilmington, California to a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista, where their target was dining with his family.

The target and his family were leaving the Chili’s restaurant when Quintero and Nunez pulled up behind them in the parking lot. Quintero got out of the car and fired a single bullet that struck the victim’s legs. After that single shot, Quintero’s firearm jammed, and he was unable to unjam the weapon in time to shoot again. Quintero got back into the car Nunez was driving, and Nunez attempted unsuccessfully to hit and kill the intended victim with the vehicle. The teen gunmen then fled the scene.

Later that night, in the early hours of March 27, 2024, the teen hitmen showed up at the intended victim’s home to finish the job. They were joined this time by an older accomplice, 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez. Nunez and Quintero each expected to be paid approximately $50,000. The trio approached the target’s home, carrying at least one firearm apiece.

Two family members and a friend of the intended victim were present in the home. Sanchez banged on the front door, and once the friend responded, Quintero and Nunez shot at the friend and fired indiscriminately at the family home. According to the plea agreements, Nunez and Quintero acted with the intent of ending the life of the friend and anyone within the kill zone they created in targeting the intended victim.

The friend was shot in the hand, arm, and face by Quintero and Nunez, but he survived. In response to Quintero and Nunez’s actions, the friend shot toward Nunez, Quintero and Sanchez to protect himself and the others within the home and, in so doing, he shot and killed Sanchez—a provocative-act murder to which Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty. After that, the hitmen fled the scene.

The defendants admitted they were tapped to murder the cartel’s target because they were minors and, specifically, only 15 at the time. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants knew—if apprehended for this conduct—that they were ineligible to be transferred to adult status under the laws of the State of California because they were under the age of 16 at the time of the offense. For example, among other discussions Nunez had with his co-defendant after being arrested, Nunez and Quintero talked about not being able to “catch a…707” because of their age at the time, which referred to not being subject to adult transfer under California Welfare & Institutions Code Section 707.

In February 2026, a federal grand jury indicted alleged Sinaloa Cartel associates Poly Antunez, Antonio Quinones, and Jovanny Enriquez for conspiring with the teens to execute the cartel target. The 15-year-olds were thought to be too young for serious legal consequences. That indictment charged the defendants with Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Murder for Hire, and Use of Interstate Facilities in Commission of Murder for Hire. That related case, Case Number 26cr402-TWR, is pending.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff, Peter Horn and Joshua Mellor.

DEFENDANTS                                             Case Number 25cr4822-TWR

Andrew Nunez

aka “Shooter,” aka “Felon”                            Age: 16                                   Wilmington, CA

Johncarlo Quintero                                        Age: 17                                  Wilmington, CA

aka “Dumper”

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs.  1959(a)(5) and 2)

Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine

Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(1) and 2).

Maximum penalty: Life in prison; $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Chula Vista Police Department

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Marshals Service

California Highway Patrol

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Former Gastonia Police Officer Sentenced To Prison For Straw Purchasing A Firearm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former Gastonia police officer was sentenced to prison today for straw purchasing a firearm, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.  Xana Dayanae Dove, 28, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

“No one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson.  “We stand behind our law enforcement officers and support them as they work hard to reduce violent crime in our community. But when they become criminals that instead contribute to that crime, they get no special treatment.”

“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with significant authority and very few choose to violate that trust, but those instances will not be tolerated. The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, remain committed to accountability and protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. We thank the officers who proudly protect and serve their communities every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis.

According to filed documents and the court hearing, on May 25, 2023, Dove purchased a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol from Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer located in Belmont, North Carolina. As Dove previously admitted in court, in completing the purchase, she made a false and fictitious written statement when she falsely stated on ATF’s Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious.

At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court also ordered the forfeiture of a Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol. Dove will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and ATF for their work on the investigation, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Community Supervision, and the Gastonia Police Department for their assistance with Dove’s apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

$5,000 Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Arrest of Mass Shooting Suspects

CINCINNATI — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is announcing a reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the mass shooting incident that occurred on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

The Cincinnati Police Department responded to Riverfront live at 4343 Kellogg Avenue at approximately 12:57 a.m. after numerous reports of multiple shooting victims. Nine victims were wounded in the offense.

ATF is assisting the Cincinnati Police Department with this investigation and is providing all available resources to bring these offenders to justice. ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information related to the identification of those responsible for this senseless act of violence.

Anyone who has information about this incident should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888283-8477). Individuals may also email ATFTips@atf.gov  or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

Tips can also be submitted to the Cincinnati Police Department at 513-352-3542 or Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.

Armed Church Intruder Sentenced to Federal Prison

OKLAHOMA CITY – FERNANDO JESUS VILLEGAS, 41, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 77 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, on May 21, 2025, the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to a metro church near the intersection of S. Shartel Avenue and SW 25th Street, on reports of an armed intruder. Church members told OCPD that the intruder, later identified as Villegas, forced his way into the basement of the church where there were multiple people, including children, and demanded they help hide him. Witnesses reported that Villegas brandished a handgun, pointing it at a member, and waving it in the air. When officers arrived, Villegas fled from the basement and exited the church but was located and arrested nearby a short time later. During the arrest, officers seized a handgun from his front pocket.

On August 5, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Villegas with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Villegas pleaded guilty on October 22, 2025, and admitted he possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions.

Public records reflect that Villegas has multiple felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court, including:

• possession of drug proceeds and possession of marijuana in case number CF-2003-3981;
• possession of methamphetamine in case number CF-2015-1908; and
• possession of methamphetamine and aggravated eluding a police officer in case number CF-2016-364.

At the sentencing hearing on February 18, 2026, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Villegas to serve 77 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted its concern for protecting the public considering Villegas’ criminal history.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nichols, Jr., prosecuted the case.

City Man Who Committed Armed Robbery and Shot at Philadelphia Police Officers Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Carlian Gonzalez, 36, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Kai N. Scott for possession of a firearm by a felon.

The defendant was charged by indictment in June 2024 and pleaded guilty last November.

As detailed in court filings and statements, on September 14, 2023, Gonzalez robbed a victim of his cell phone on a sidewalk in North Philadelphia, pointing a gun to his head and demanding he turn over his phone. Shortly after the robbery, the victim stopped police officers patrolling the area and informed them that Gonzalez had robbed him and was armed with a gun.

The officers followed behind Gonzalez and activated their lights and sirens, in an attempt to stop him. Video footage shows Gonzalez dismount the bicycle he was riding, raise his arm, and fire several shots at the police vehicle. One officer returned fire and hit Gonzalez in the ankle, causing Gonzalez to fall and drop his gun, which the defendant knew that he was not permitted to possess, due to his status as a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Osborne.

Ryan Wesley Routh Sentenced to Life Plus Seven Years in Prison for Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump and Assault of a Federal Law Enforcement Officer

MIAMI – Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced today to life plus 84 months in federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence following Routh’s conviction by a federal jury on all five counts charged in the indictment.

“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never walk free again.”

“Routh attempted to assassinate President Trump and thereby cast our Nation into what would have been one of its darkest periods,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence is a resounding rejection of political violence and a clear reminder that we resolve our differences through civil discourse, democratic elections, and lawful protest, not by force.”

“This life sentence reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is un-American and will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “An attempted assassination of a presidential candidate is an attack on our democratic process and the rule of law itself. This assassination attempt was stopped by the courage and professionalism of U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano, whose decisive actions protected lives and prevented a national tragedy. Today’s life sentence ensures the defendant will never again threaten public safety and sends a clear message that those who choose violence to advance their beliefs will face swift, certain, and decisive justice.”

“Routh’s plan to kill a major presidential candidate, President Donald Trump, was a despicable attack on our democratic system,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.  “Thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department partners, he will pay a high price for his actions. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the justice system will not tolerate such heinous attacks.”

“Political violence is unacceptable in the United States, and this sentence is commensurate with the gravity of Routh’s actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “The investigation was immense and left no stone unturned.  The FBI worked shoulder to shoulder with the Secret Service, ATF, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI covered leads across the country and around the globe using all the tools and techniques at our disposal to include FBI Laboratory analysis, the Computer Analysis Response Team and the Cellular Analysis Survey Team.  I commend our law enforcement partners and investigative team for their tireless work which led to today’s result.”

In September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, a jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses.

According to evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course. Fearing for his life and the life of President Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at Routh, who fled the scene.

Law enforcement officers later recovered a Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and pointing at the sixth green of the golf course where President Trump was about to play golf.

A civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a black Nissan Xterra. Based on that information, Routh was apprehended while traveling northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

A search of Routh’s vehicle revealed multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell phone records showed that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International Golf Club and the President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.

Testimony at trial also established that Routh had dropped off a box at a witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area near the golf course. Inside the box was a handwritten letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles announced the sentence.

FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with this case.

Senior Counsel John C. Shipley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne, National Security Division Chief Maria K. Medetis Long, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Luce for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys James Donnelly and John Cella of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80116.

ATF Offers $5k Reward for Suspect of 2024 Pennsylvania State Police Barracks Arson

ATF, USMS, and PSP Seek the Public’s Help

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a reward in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for information leading to the arrest of Lamont Sparrow for the April 29, 2024, arson at the PSP Philadelphia barracks impound lot.

Investigators determined that Sparrow of Philadelphia and co-conspirators set the fire, and on August 15, 2025, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an arrest warrant for Sparrow following an indictment by a Grand Jury for malicious damage by means of fire to a vehicle (18 U.S.C. § 844(i)). The other suspects have been apprehended and await trial.

“Arson is a serious and dangerous crime,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Working with our state and federal partners, we ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Lamont Sparrow to contact us.”

Sparrow, who is 5’9”, has short black hair, a small mustache and facial hair on his chin, may currently be in Georgia’s Loganville Atlanta area.

ATF is offering a reward for the amount of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of Sparrow. Anyone with information on Sparrow should contact ATF, USMS, or PSP.

• ATF: Call (888) ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), e-mail ATFTips@atf.gov
•  , or visit the ATF’s website www.atf.gov/contact/atftips. Tips can also be submitted anonymously using the Reportit® app via www.reportit.com
•  , or by texting “ATFPHI” to 63975 and following the link provided.
• USMS: Call (877) WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332), or visit the USMS’s website https://www.p3tips.com/USMS.aspx.
• PSP: Call (888) 292-1919, or e-mail tips@pa.gov

Atlanta child molester sentenced for illegally possessing firearm while impersonating a police officer

ATLANTA – Fredrick Crawford, a convicted child molester, robber, and stalker, has been sentenced to prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm at an Atlanta gas station where he was impersonating a police officer and threatening customers.

"If a real officer had not caught this armed felon pretending to be a cop, someone could have been seriously injured,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to my office’s close partnership with the Atlanta Police Department, which referred this case for federal prosecution, the community is safer because Crawford is back in prison, where he belongs.”

“Impersonating a law enforcement officer is a serious crime that undermines public trust and safety. Fredrick Crawford’s actions not only endangered the lives of innocent citizens but also posed a significant risk to legitimate law enforcement efforts. The ATF is committed to working alongside our partners to ensure that individuals who engage in such reckless behavior are held accountable,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

“This case underscores the vigilance and professionalism of our officers, even when off duty,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “An armed felon impersonating a police officer poses a grave threat to public safety and to the integrity of law enforcement. Thanks to the quick actions of our sergeant and the coordinated response that followed, a dangerous individual was taken off the streets.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 12, 2024, an off-duty Atlanta Police Department (APD) sergeant who was buying fuel at a gas station saw Fredrick Crawford, who was armed and wearing a uniform labeled “Fugitive Task Force.” Crawford was arguing with customers, claimed he was a police officer, and repeatedly threatened to issue tickets to people at the gas station.

Concerned by Crawford’s behavior, the sergeant approached him. As their conversation unfolded, the sergeant began to suspect that Crawford was not a real police officer. The sergeant flagged down two marked APD vehicles. When Crawford saw the other officers approaching, he fled and tossed his firearm.

When Crawford was apprehended, officers discovered he was a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm. Along with a prior conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Crawford also had previous criminal convictions for child molestation, family violence battery, aggravated stalking, and robbery by force. Initially, Crawford was prosecuted in Fulton County, where the district attorney’s office recommended a sentence of just nine months of imprisonment. To achieve more appropriate punishment for this violent recidivist, the Atlanta Police Department requested successive prosecution of Crawford in federal court.

Fredrick Crawford, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen to four years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas L. Evert and Chloe Cobb Smith prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

From Kent State to Santa Ana: The Impossible Mission of Policing Protest in a Free Society

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard soldiers fired into a crowd of student demonstrators at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. The nation recoiled in horror. The lesson seemed unmistakable: when government meets dissent with bullets, legitimacy collapses.

Yet the deeper lesson was more complicated. Kent State was not simply a story of brutality. It was also a story of fear, confusion, command breakdown, and crowd volatility. Guardsmen faced a hostile environment, property damage, and swelling tension. None of this justified the gunfire — but it revealed something enduring: mass protest is one of the most unstable environments any government can face.

The tragedy forced a national reckoning. Law enforcement did not ignore it. Agencies across the country sought better ways — ways to control disorder without killing. The goal was not repression, but restraint.

What followed was not stagnation, but evolution.

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The 1970s–1990s: The search for restraint

After the upheavals of the late 1960s and early 1970s, police departments began formalizing crowd-control doctrine. Riot formations replaced ad hoc responses. Tear gas replaced batons and rifles. The idea was to create distance between officers and crowds and to disperse disorder without deadly force.

But just months after Kent State, the limits of this approach became tragically clear.

During the 1970 Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles, journalist Rubén Salazar was killed when a sheriff’s deputy fired a tear-gas projectile into a crowded café. This was not battlefield gunfire. It was the new restrained model of crowd control — and it still proved lethal.

Here lies the first great warning: changing tools does not change physics. High-velocity projectiles, even when labeled “crowd control,” remain dangerous when deployed in dense, chaotic environments.

Police were not ignoring public concern — they were trying to adapt. But adaptation did not eliminate risk; it narrowed the margin for error.

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The 1990s–2000s: Less-lethal becomes standard

By the 1990s and early 2000s, American policing increasingly adopted rubber bullets, foam baton rounds, beanbags, and pepperball systems. These tools were designed precisely because firearms were unacceptable for crowd management in a democratic society.

Their intent was humane.

Yet incidents such as the 2007 MacArthur Park protests in Los Angeles revealed a recurring dilemma. Protesters who refused dispersal orders, surged police lines, or threw objects created conditions in which officers had seconds to act. Area weapons were used because individualized targeting was impossible.

Injury followed — not because restraint was abandoned, but because crowd control itself is structurally imprecise.

This period illustrates an important truth often ignored in modern debate: police reform has been continuous for fifty years. The profession has not been static or indifferent. It has been struggling with an inherently unsolvable equation.

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2020: A nationwide stress test

The George Floyd protests in 2020 became the largest test of modern crowd-control doctrine in American history. Millions protested peacefully. Some protests, however, turned violent, with arson, assaults, and mass disorder.

Police faced simultaneous, contradictory expectations:

• Protect lives and property

• Preserve First Amendment freedoms

• Avoid deadly force

• Restore order quickly

No doctrine can perfectly satisfy all four.

Officers used shields, chemical agents, and impact munitions — tools developed precisely to avoid Kent State–style outcomes. Yet serious injuries still occurred.

The lesson was sobering: even reformed policing methods fail under the pressure of mass unrest.

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2026: Santa Ana and the modern dilemma

In January 2026, federal agents responding to an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana used less-lethal munitions that blinded demonstrators struck in the face.

These injuries are morally serious. But they occurred in a familiar operational reality:

• rapidly shifting crowds

• compressed reaction time

• objects thrown from within the mass

• blurred lines between peaceful protesters and agitators

Police officers cannot freeze a crowd and conduct courtroom-level analysis. They must decide in seconds.

Protest tactics shape this environment. When demonstrators ignore dispersal orders, block emergency routes, mask identities, and surge lines, they make individualized enforcement nearly impossible. Officers then resort to area-control tools — and area tools inevitably harm indiscriminately.

This is not because police abandon professionalism. It is because the mission itself becomes physically unmanageable.

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The central tragedy of democratic policing

Authoritarian states solve this easily. They ban protest. They crush crowds early. Their police face fewer dilemmas because liberty has already been surrendered.

Free societies choose the harder path.

We protect:

• mass assembly

• disruptive speech

• emotional dissent

And we simultaneously demand public safety.

This creates an impossible assignment:

• Maintain order without suppressing liberty;
• Use force without destroying legitimacy; and, 
• Act decisively without acting indiscriminately.

No tactic perfectly satisfies all three.

This is why each generation experiences a different version of the same tragedy:

Era	Tool	Outcome
1970	Rifles	Death
1970	Tear-gas projectile	Death
2007	Foam rounds	Serious injury
2020	Impact munitions	Widespread trauma
2026	Less-lethal rounds	Permanent blindness

The tools evolve. The tension remains.

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Why this is not a story of bad faith

It is tempting to reduce these events to villainy. But history tells a more difficult truth.

American policing has spent half a century trying to become more restrained, more professional, more constitutional. Each reform narrows the margin of harm — but cannot eliminate it.

This is not evidence of moral failure. It is evidence of democratic physics.

Crowds are volatile.
Protests are unpredictable.
Force is never precise.

Police stand at the fault line between liberty and order — asked to hold both simultaneously.

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The uncomfortable reality

Kent State teaches that force can be too heavy.
Salazar teaches that restraint can still misfire.
Santa Ana teaches that even modern reform leaves irreversible harm.

This does not mean law enforcement is unjust.

It means that policing protest in a free society is one of the hardest missions any government can assign.

Liberty generates disorder.
Order requires coercion.
And between them stands the officer — expected to solve an unsolvable problem in seconds.

That is not a moral failure of policing.

It is the tragic cost of freedom itself.

$5,000 Reward Offered for Information Regarding Blue Ash Carjacking

CINCINNATI — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering a reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for a carjacking in Blue Ash.

According to the Blue Ash Police Department, officers responded to the 3800 block of Bellview Avenue on December 12, 2025, following a report of a carjacking. The victim told police the suspect brandished a firearm and stole the vehicle, constituting an aggravated robbery.

Blue Ash carjacking suspect looking in the open trunk of the carjacked vehicle.

The stolen vehicle was later recovered on Yearling Court in Cincinnati.

ATF has partnered with the Blue Ash Police Department and has joined the investigation in search of those responsible. As part of that effort, ATF is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information related to the case.

Anyone who has information about this incident should contact ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477). Individuals may also email ATFTips@atf.gov 

r contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

Tips can also be submitted to the Blue Ash Police Department at 513-745-8555 or Cincinnati Crimestoppers at 513-352-3040.