Montgomery man pleads guilty to federal firearm charges
A Montgomery man had pleaded guilty to federal firearms and machinegun charges.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson tells Action 8 News that 25-year-old Ladarius Lamar Knight pled guilty Wednesday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to the unlawful possession of a machinegun.
According to court records, on January 7, officers with the Montgomery Police Department and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) were on Zelda Road when they heard gunshots coming from a nearby gas station. Responding officers observed three individuals fleeing the area.
ALEA troopers pursued one of the suspects into a fast-food restaurant across the street from the gas station. The suspect, later identified as Knight, was found hiding in the restaurant’s back storage area and was taken into custody. Troopers recovered a handgun Knight was attempting to conceal inside a box.
Further examination revealed that the handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device.
Knight has prior felony convictions and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. At sentencing, Knight faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
