Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Kirk Gross, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 16 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Kirk Gross is an armed career criminal with a history of committing violent gun crimes in Baltimore,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Now he will spend 16 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove violent gun-toting criminals from our communities.  The message to armed criminals is, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.” 

According to his guilty plea, in the late morning on June 12, 2018, detectives from the Baltimore City Police Department (“BPD”) Eastern District Action Team (“DAT”) received information that an individual named “Kirk Gross” was carrying a firearm in the area of Pittman Place and Barclay Street in East Baltimore.  The DAT Detectives responded in two separate vehicles. 

Driving north on Barclay Street, the detectives observed an individual wearing all black with a companion walking north on the west side of the street.  This individual, later identified as Kirk Gross, was wearing tight-fitting clothes that enabled the officers to see the contours of a firearm—specifically the barrel and handle—pressed into the pants. 

As soon as two detectives exited the vehicle, Gross fled west on McAllister Street, with detectives pursuing him.  The detectives shouted for Gross to stop as he unsuccessfully tried to remove and discard the firearm.  As the pursuit continued, unbeknownst to everyone involved, a Metropolitan Transit Authority Officer was on the street conducting an unrelated investigation.  Hearing the shouts of the officers and observing Gross flee from them while holding his waistband, that officer ran southeast across E. North Avenue and tackled Gross to the ground. 

Body-worn camera footage captured most of the chase and all of the arrest.  Upon apprehending Gross, the detectives searched him and retrieved a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol from Gross’ pants.  Officers also recovered a total of approximately 2.28 grams of cocaine in a Ziploc bag with multiple baggies as well as $40.00 in cash. 

Gross knew that as a result of his previous felony convictions, including three armed robberies, one using a machine gun, and a shooting, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Metropolitan Transit Authority Police for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey N. McCulley, who prosecuted the case.

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