Avante Daquan Lee Sentenced To Three Years In Federal Prison For Illegal Possession Of A Loaded Firearm
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) -- Officials announced that 28-year-old Avante Daquan Lee of Suitland to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to Lee's guilty plea, on March 15, 2020, a Prince George's County police officer saw Lee in a Temple Hills parking lot trying to restart a dirt bike that did not have a license plate. The police officer pulled his vehicle in front of Lee who then dropped the dirt bike and ran into a wooded area.
The officer gave Lee several commands to stop. During the chase, Lee threw a semi-automatic pistol into the underbrush near a chain-link fence. Lee stopped running when he reached the chain-link fence and began to reach into his waistband.
Believing that Lee was attempting to grab a weapon, the officer who was chasing Lee told him that he was under arrest and ordered him to the ground.
According to officials, officers who arrived on the scene during the chase saw an object fly through the air and land in the underbrush near where Lee was running. They searched the area where the object landed and found the pistol -- loaded with 10 cartridges.
An investigation revealed the gun had been stolen on April 25, 2016.
During a search, officers found a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol in Lee's left pant leg. Two additional magazines, one loaded with 10 cartridges and the other loaded with seven cartridges were also recovered from Lee's right front pocket.
His cellphone was also recovered from his right front pants pocket. Officers obtained a search warrant for the phone and discovered numerous pictures and videos of Lee with firearms.
Lee knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition as a result of two previous felony convictions in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County.