Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Randy Owens, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”).

According to Owens’ guilty plea, on July 22, 2019, BPD detectives learned that an individual in the 600 block of North Edgewood Street in Southwest Baltimore was possibly armed with a handgun that was hidden in a striped bag. BPD officers went to that location and spotted a person, later identified as Randy Owens, matching the description, including the striped bag. Owens was observed trying to conceal himself from the officers are he watched them through a parked vehicle’s windows as they drove down the 600 block of N. Edgewood Street. The officers circled the block and then drove down the 600 block of N. Edgewood a second time. As they turned into the block, the officers saw Owens standing on the porch of a residence in the 600 block of N. Edgewood. A BPD officer approached Owens and asked him to approach the officer. Owens walked off the front porch and towards the sidewalk but as the BPD officer approached, Owens ran away, clutching the striped bag. After a brief foot chase, BPD officers caught Owens. A search of the striped bag revealed an IMI Uzi 9mm semiautomatic pistol, loaded with 31 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Owens knew that as a result of his previous felony convictions, he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.