DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Arizona

For Immediate Release

Friday, January 22, 2021
Michael Bailey
, United States Attorney

Tucson Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon

TUCSON, Ariz. – Yesterday, Tacal Charles Hart, 35, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Scott H. Rash to ten years in prison for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Hart previously pleaded guilty on February 18, 2020.

On August 11, 2018, Hart, a three-time convicted felon, was involved in a shooting at Mansfield Park in Tucson. After the shooting, law enforcement seized two empty pistol magazines and one round of ammunition from Hart. On December 4, 2018, federal agents served a search warrant at Hart’s residence and found eight additional rounds of ammunition. 

On December 10, 2018, federal agents attempted to arrest Hart, but he fled in his vehicle through midtown Tucson. While fleeing, Hart threw a pistol and a pistol magazine loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition from his vehicle. During the chase, Hart abandoned his vehicle in a Walmart parking lot and continued to flee on foot. Hart hid in a nearby apartment for several hours until he was finally found and arrested. Another pistol, three pistol magazines, and several more rounds of ammunition were found in the apartment where Hart had been hiding. Federal agents also seized two improvised explosive from the trunk of Hart’s abandoned vehicle.

This case was 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. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Tucson Police Department, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

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Phoenix Field Division