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William Johnson, 35, was convicted of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, after a trial in September 2020, according to Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.
Philadelphia Police Department Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of a person with a gun at 15th Street and West Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia, in September 2019, Williams said.
Upon arrival, the officers noticed Johnson walking with a person that matched the description in the report, Williams said.
When the officers attempted to investigate, Johnson took off in a full sprint while holding onto his waistband, Willams said. He then cut through an empty lot and climbed a fence in an attempt to flee police, Williams said.
When Johnson met an officer on the opposite side of the fence, he jumped down and tossed a gun a few feet away, Williams said.
The officers then took Johnson into custody and secured the gun, Williams said.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes very seriously the staggering homicide and violent crime rates in Philadelphia, and we’re doing all we can to get guns off the streets and out of the hands of convicted felons,” said Williams.
“If you are convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, you will go to prison for a very long time. As punishment for his illegal gun possession, William Johnson will now lose fifteen years of freedom. He went to prison in his mid-thirties, and he won’t get out until he is nearly fifty. Don’t take that risk: don’t carry illegally.”
“The disturbing level of gun violence in Philadelphia is undeniably exacerbated by the abundance of the illegal firearms on the street,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.
“The FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department are working together to battle that tide, and whether it’s through takedowns of violent gun-toting gangs or, one by one, arresting felons like Mr. Johnson in criminal possession of a firearm, we will continue to do all we can to make this city safer.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
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