Prosecutors charge Philly man who allegedly ran at officer with loaded handgun during last summer's unrest
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia man is facing charges after federal prosecutors said he ran towards a police officer while holding a loaded handgun inside a ransacked pharmacy during last summer's unrest in Philadelphia.
Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said 23-year-old Mashaq White was a previously convicted felon when officers arrested him inside a pharmacy on the 5600 block of Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia with a loaded 9mm Ruger handgun.
Officers were called to the pharmacy on June 1 for reports of a burglary in progress and found the store ransacked with the sprinkler system activated.
Prosecutors said police body camera footage captured White running down a store aisle towards an officer while holding a loaded handgun. The officer managed to restrain White and arrest him without further incident, according to an investigation.
Prosecutors charged White with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
"Our office is committed to prosecuting anybody who took advantage of the civil unrest and protests of last summer to try to commit violent acts or otherwise violate federal law," Williams said.
If convicted, White faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. A U.S. District Court on Friday ordered White to be held pending trial.
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