Convicted Felon Sentenced For Possessing Firearm During Garden City Road Rage Incident

SAVANNAH, GA: Anthony Jammoni Atkins, 26, a multi-convicted felon, was sentenced on January 16, 2018, by Senior U.S. District Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to 100 months in prison for possessing a loaded semiautomatic pistol.  Atkins used that pistol to threaten a mother and her two children during a rush hour road rage incident.  Upon completion of his prison sentence, Atkins will serve an additional three years on supervised release.

According to court documents and evidence presented at hearings, Atkins was traveling through Garden City, Georgia during the afternoon rush hour on November 4, 2016, when another motorist called 911 to report that the driver of an SUV had pulled alongside her car, pointed a gun at her and her two daughters, and slammed the gun into the SUV’s passenger-side window.  After locating and stopping the SUV, police officers identified Atkins as the driver.  Atkins admitted that there was a firearm inside the SUV, and officers recovered a semiautomatic 9mm pistol that was loaded with nineteen rounds of ammunition in a large capacity magazine.  As a convicted felon, Atkins was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Atkins’ criminal history includes numerous convictions for violent and drug-related offenses.  In 2010, Atkins pled guilty to trafficking marijuana in Chatham County.  One year later, in 2011, Atkins was convicted of aggravated battery in connection with his attempt to rob a person to whom he had agreed to sell drugs.  During the attempted robbery, Atkins ran over the victim with his car.

U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia is committed to ending the scourge of violent crime that has plagued Savannah for far too long, and we are partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to do something about it.  A key element of our strategy is ensuring that convicted felons who possess firearms illegally are punished appropriately for their misconduct.  Make no mistake – this United States Attorney’s Office will not tolerate the possession and use of firearms by those who seek to threaten and endanger the community.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Atkins as part of Project Ceasefire, a joint federal, state, and local initiative to combat gun violence and ensure that repeat offenders are subjected to stiff federal prison sentences, all of which must be served without the possibility of parole.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Garden City Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.