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Bernard Pettway, 39, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford. Pettway will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term, said Deirdre M. Daly, U.S. attorney for Connecticut.
This matter stems from Operation Samson, an initiative headed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bridgeport and New Haven Police Departments It targeted violent criminals, illegal firearm possession and firearm trafficking.
In the spring of 2014, 40 ATF special agents and personnel from Connecticut and across the country were deployed with New Haven and Bridgeport Police to conduct numerous covert operations.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from April and June 2014, investigators made three controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Pettway.
On June 16, 2014, an individual working with law enforcement called Pettway and placed an order for crack cocaine. Pettway arranged to meet the drug purchaser at a location on Fairfield Avenue in Bridgeport.
After Pettway arrived, Bridgeport Police officers got out of a marked car and approached his vehicle. Pettway then attempted to evade law enforcement and drove away at a high rate of speed.
A Bridgeport Police officer and an ATF special agent in an unmarked vehicle nearby attempted to block Pettway’s escape by positioning their car to partially block the roadway.
Pettway then rammed into the back end of the unmarked vehicle, spinning it 90 degrees, and fled the scene. He was apprehended later that day.
The ATF special agent suffered back and neck injuries and was taken to the hospital.
After his arrest, Pettway assisted law enforcement in the recovery of an illegal firearm.
On Oct. 22, 2014, he pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting a federal agent with a dangerous weapon.
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