Wilmington ‘Gangster Disciple’ Felon with Stolen Guns and High-Capacity Magazines Receives 54 Months for Gun Offense

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm. On October 31, 2022, Michael Tyron Bridges, age 27, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on July 28, 2020, Michael Bridges was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the Wilmington Police Department. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a Glock 45 with a 24-round magazine in a cupholder, a .380 pistol in the other cupholder, and a stolen Sig Sauer rifle in the backseat with Mr. Bridges. Mr. Bridges was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was released on bond on July 29, 2020.

On March 16, 2021, while out on bond for the July 28, 2020 arrest, the Wilmington Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle Mr. Bridges was driving. After Mr. Bridges told officer he had marijuana on his person, officers conducted a search and located a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum pistol in his pocket. Mr. Bridges was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was released on bond on March 18, 2021.

August 16, 2021, while out on bond for the July 28, 2020 arrest and the March 16, 2021 arrest, officers with the Wilmington Police Department became aware that Mr. Bridges had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle to serve him with the process. When Mr. Bridges stepped out of the vehicle, a 9mm live round of ammunition fell from his lap and, in a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located a stolen 9mm Taurus G2 pistol. Mr. Bridges was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was released on bond on September 3, 2021.

On March 23, 2022, officers with the Wilmington Police Department received a call from a store clerk regarding a firearm that was found in the parking lot of the business. When officers arrived, they located a Smith and Wesson handgun with a high-capacity magazine in the parking lot. Subsequent testing of the firearm revealed the presence of Mr. Bridges DNA on the firearm. 

On August 31, 2022, Mr. Bridges was arrested on federal charges and was ordered to be detained pending the resolution of his case. 

During sentencing, the Court found Mr. Bridges, a convicted felon, responsible for possessing at leave five firearms and ammunition between July 28, 2020, and March 23, 2022. Additionally, multiple firearms were reported stolen and had large capacity magazines.

Mr. Bridges was a named defendant in the 2018 New Hanover County Permanent Injunction declaring the 720 Gangster Disciple street gang a public nuisance in New Hanover County.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, the Wilmington Police Department, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-cr-00080-BO.