Baton Rouge Man Sentenced for Assaulting and Threatening Federal Officers

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KESHAWN KELLY, age 20, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on October 3, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to twenty (20) months imprisonment, three (3) years of supervised release, and a $125 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.  KELLY previously pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment charging him with influencing federal officials by threat, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 115(a)(1)(B), and assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1).

According to court documents, on February 15, 2022, KELLY was involved in a 21-minute standoff with police in the emergency department parking lot at the New Orleans VA Medical Center.  During the standoff, KELLY possessed a fully loaded AR-15 rifle with a round in the chamber and the selector switch set to the semi-automatic firing position.  KELLY, who continuously refused to get out of the car with his hands up, made various threats to shoot and otherwise assault the officers for the duration of the standoff.

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.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs Police. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.