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Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Antonio Tawan Bankhead, 31, of Fairfield, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on Oct. 11, police responded to a report of a man robbed at gunpoint in Laurel Creek Park in Fairfield. Police located the victim, who said that three men approached him in the park and started taking his belongings, including his cellphone, pants, and shoes. The victim said that Bankhead pointed a gun at him and asked his two accomplices, “Should I shoot him?” After the victim called 911, police responded to the scene and located the three suspects. Bankhead led police on a foot pursuit through the park, but was apprehended in a nearby neighborhood. Afterwards, police found a gun that Bankhead is alleged to have discarded during the chase. The gun had an extended magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber. Bankhead cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of three felony offenses. In addition, when this offense took place, Bankhead was on federal probation for illegally possessing a firearm in 2014.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, Bankhead faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.