Armed felon who broke into Children's Hospital seeking treatment sentenced to prison

A felon armed with a fully automatic handgun who broke through two sets of security doors at Children's Hospital last year was recently sentenced to federal prison. 

Jeremy Lavon Tate, 29, entered an employee entrance at the hospital to get treatment for a minor finger injury, according to case documents. 

Tate damaged the security doors and entered a hallway at 12:20 a.m. on September 24, 2022.  

RELATED  Man with six outstanding warrants walks into Children's Hospital with handgun (2022) 

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Tate to 33 months in prison on Nov. 13. Tate was sentenced on a single charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.

Court documents show Tate was convicted in Illinois of felony theft in 2017 and sentenced to two years prison there. Due to that conviction, Tate was not legally permitted to carry a firearm.  

Hospital security, including a University of Colorado Medical Campus Police Department sergeant, confronted Tate in the hospital's hallway. They took from him a .40 caliber Glock handgun, as stated in case documents. The gun had a round chambered and 17 more rounds in an extended magazine that was capable of holding 22 bullets. The gun also had a laser-mounted sight and a "switch converter" engaged, ""rendering the handgun fully automatic with a single pull of the trigger."  

An agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later tested the weapon and emptied all 17 rounds with one pull of the trigger, according to the case documents.

 "The swift, courageous actions of brave law enforcement officers and hospital security staff prevented a possible catastrophe from unfolding inside Children's Hospital," stated U.S. District of Colorado Attorney Cole Finegan in a press release.  "By stopping an armed felon in his tracks, they protected innocent citizens from incredible danger."

Children's Hospital has more than 300 pediatric beds in its capacity.

Tate had six outstanding warrants at the time of the incident, according to the Aurora Police Department. Three of them involved felonies. Those cases appear to be from out of state since they do not show up in a search of his criminal history in Colorado.

However, Aurora PD has filed four other felony cases against Tate since the hospital incident. All involve theft, ID theft, forgery and money laundering charges. 

Those cases can now move forward with the conclusion of the federal case.