Georgia Felon Who Assaulted Clearwater Police Officer During Traffic Stop Convicted At Trial For Possession Of Firearm

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Cleveland Sanders (41, Covington, Georgia) was found guilty of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon following a bench trial before United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle. Sanders faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2024. 

According to evidence presented at trial, on January 3, 2023, an officer with the Clearwater Police Department stopped Sanders for multiple traffic infractions near North Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Grant Street in Clearwater, Florida. During the stop, the officer noticed a large handgun in the driver’s side doorjamb. After being ordered to remain in the vehicle, Sanders instead got out and punched the officer several times in the face and dislodged the officer’s body camera. Sanders then fled the scene but was later arrested.

The firearm was recovered from the doorjamb of the vehicle. At the time of the offense, Sanders had a prior felony conviction and had served 15 years in a Florida prison for aggravated battery with great bodily harm. As a convicted felon he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clearwater Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and David Sullivan.

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.