Virginia Man Sentenced For Illegal Possession Of A Firearm And Ammunition

Greenbelt, Maryland –United States District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Lavar William Henderson, age 46, of Richmond, Virginia to 90 months and 3 years of supervised release after he was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the United States Park Police, and Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to the guilty plea, on October 26, 2022, Henderson illegally possessed a 9mm pistol, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.  On that day, United States Park Police officers were alerted to be on the lookout for a black Jaguar driven by a man wearing a red hat, who was pointing a firearm with a red laser at other motorists.  A car matching that description passed a crash scene and officers at the scene followed, then conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle.  Henderson was arrested. 

Multiple witnesses observed Henderson point the Sig Sauer pistol equipped with a laser at motorists that day. Witnesses were driving in a truck on Interstate 495 near Forestville Road in District Heights, Maryland. While doing so, Henderson pulled his car alongside their truck and flashed a firearm with a laser attachment at them. Henderson then pulled directly in front of the victims’ truck and came to a complete stop before proceeding again. Henderson did this several times before coming to a complete stop near Forestville Road, forcing the victims to also stop their truck. Henderson then got out of his care and began screaming at the victims. Henderson also began beating on the window of their truck, asking the victims if they wanted to fight. Henderson then went back to his black Jaguar and pulled a handgun from inside and pointed it at the window of the truck. The handgun had a red laser. Henderson then got back inside of the black Jaguar and drove away at a high rate of speed.

Another witness came in contact with Henderson while they were both driving on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. This witness was driving her car in the right lane, and when she attempted to merge into traffic, Henderson in his black Jaguar attempted to pass by on the left. He then honked his horn at the witness numerous times and refused to allow her to merge into traffic. Henderson pulled along the left side of the victim’s’ car, scratching the car from the front side panel to the back side panel. Henderson then pointed a gun at the driver through the driver’s window and shouted obscenities. He then drove away, further damaging the side of the victim’s car as he did so. 

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF, the U.S. Park Police, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaShanta Harris and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Kibbe, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.