Maryland felon facing up to 15 years in prison for having a firearm in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Maryland man pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in Virginia on Tuesday.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), 24-year-old Damontae James Garner of Silver Spring, Maryland, entered his guilty plea on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Court documents state that Garner was driving a stolen Cadillac in Virginia on Nov. 8, 2023, when a Virginia State Police trooper saw him making erratic lane changes. The state trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Garner, who instead accelerated.

The pursuit ended when Garner ran over stop sticks that another state trooper had deployed, puncturing the stolen car’s tires. This caused Garner to run into the rear guard of a parked tractor-trailer at a weigh station.

According to court documents, Garner and an unidentified passenger fled the stolen car. They made it a short distance on foot before state troopers took them into custody.

A backpack was found in the Cadillac that had a 7.62 caliber semi-automatic firearm inside. Court documents state it was loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition.

Garner admitted on Tuesday that the gun was his. As a convicted felon, it is against the law for him to have a gun. On Jan. 8, 2025, Garner will be sentenced. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

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