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Chaze Yopp, 27, of New Haven, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in U.S. District Court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut said.
He is out on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
Yopp drew suspicion in January after New Haven Police tried to pull over an SUV, in which he was a passenger, for multiple motor vehicle violations, court documents said.
Instead of stopping, the SUV took off and crashed into a lightbox at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Bassett Street. Yopp fled from the crash and discarded a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol as he ran through Dixwell Avenue backyards, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He got away, but police arrested Yopp 17 days later on state charges. He was arrested again in February on a federal criminal complaint, according to court documents.
Yopp has a prior felony conviction for drugs and firearm offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
It is illegal for a person previously convicted of a felony to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Yopp is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted on the firearm charge.
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