Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Tayvon Dobson, age 23, of Cambridge, Maryland, today to 28 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for attempted murder of a federal officer and using a gun during the attempted murder.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Dorchester County State’s Attorney William H. Jones; Cambridge Police Chief Kenneth W. Malik; U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes; Dorchester County Sheriff James W. Phillips, Jr.; and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect us from violent criminals," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “I am grateful to the local, state and federal agencies that brought Tayvon Dobson to justice."
On Feb. 29, 2012, members of the Maryland State Apprehension Team/Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cambridge, Maryland Police Department arrived at a residence divided into individual apartments on Hubbard Street in Cambridge to serve an arrest warrant for Dobson. The arrest warrant charged Dobson with first degree assault and other related charges.
A Task Force detective and a supervisory inspector wore official police vests with bright letters signifying “SHERIFF" or “Police US MARSHAL" across the back, along with a “Task Force" or “Police US Marshal" patch on the front. Shortly after entering one of the apartments, Dobson’s movements were heard across the hall in apartment #1. Officers shouted at Dobson to open the door. Within minutes, gunshots from apartment #1 were directed at law enforcement located outside the residence at their unmarked police vehicles. After the Task Force detective in apartment #2 realized that he could not safely escape that apartment through the hallway, he barricaded the bedroom door with a mattress and dresser.
Shots continued to ring out from apartment #1 as other officers yelled to Dobson to surrender. After several minutes of gunfire, the detective heard Dobson reload a firearm. Dobson began to shoot again. The detective was able to see into the hallway and the front door of apartment #1. Seconds later, the detective saw Dobson leave the apartment and stop in the hallway. Dobson saw the detective no more than 15 feet away and began to fire. The detective fired back while still barricaded in apartment #2. After several volleys of gunfire, the detective felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, but continued to fire at Dobson. When Dobson left the hallway, the detective saw blood rapidly coming from his wound. The detective broke through the aprtment window, rolled out to the ground and ran to safety. He later underwent surgery.
Dobson continued to shoot at the remaining officers. Four hours after law enforcement first entered the building, Dobson finally surrendered. All of the rooms of Dobson’s residence were riddled with bullet holes. Three firearms were seized, two of which had been used to fire from inside the apartment, as well as a magazine, several rounds of live ammunition and numerous spent shell casings and projectiles.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office, Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force of the United States Marshals Service, Cambridge Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Debra L. Dwyer, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
