Buffalo Man Who Pointed A Gun At Police Pleads Guilty To Being A Felon In Possession

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Julius Hatten, Jr., 29, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles J. Volkert, Jr. and Justin G. Bish, who are handling the case, stated that on August 5, 2018, Buffalo Police Officers observed a black vehicle, traveling eastbound on Winspear Avenue, violating several New York State traffic laws. Officers conducted a vehicle stop and determined that the defendant was not suitable to operate a motor vehicle. As officers attempted to secure Hatten and place him in handcuffs, he pushed them away, pulled a firearm from his waistband, began to flee on foot, and pointed the firearm in the direction of the officers. The defendant was ultimately apprehended on Highgate Avenue. The firearm was a 9mm pistol.

In August 2011, Hatten was convicted of a felony for Criminal Possession of a Weapon Second Degree in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.               

The plea is the is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 14, 2019, before Judge Skretny

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