Bossier City Man Involved in Hit-and-Run Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Charge

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Laterreon Daron Morrison, 23, of Bossier City, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on February 4, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote, to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Morrison was involved in a hit-and-run accident at the intersection of Hearne Avenue and Hilry Huckaby Avenue in Shreveport on May 1, 2018. Officers responded to the area, fell in behind Morrison’s vehicle and activated the patrol car’s emergency lights and sirens. Morrison stopped in the middle of the lane, exited the vehicle, and attempted to flee on foot when officers tried to conduct a pat down. Morrison was apprehended by law enforcement shortly thereafter and was taken into custody. Officers recovered a Zastava 7.62X39mm caliber pistol from Morrison’s vehicle.

Morrison was a convicted felon at the time of this incident, having previously been convicted of aggravated battery in Bossier Parish in 2014.  Felons are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Laterreon Morrison will be sentenced by Judge Foote on June 12, 2020, and faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov.

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The year 2020 marks the 150^th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.