KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today of drug-trafficking and illegally possessing firearms after shooting at pursuing police officers during a foot chase that ended in his arrest.
Antonio M. Taylor, 30, of Kansas City, was found guilty of all charges contained in an Aug. 8, 2012, federal indictment.
Taylor was found guilty of two counts of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing crack cocaine, marijuana and PCP with the intent to distribute. He was found guilty of three counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to evidence presented during the trial, law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance on Taylor’s residence on July 2, 2012. Taylor, who had an active Jackson County warrant for a violation of felony probation, left the apartment and walked toward a vehicle in the parking lot. When police officers approached him, Taylor ran away and the officers pursued him on foot.
During the pursuit, Taylor changed directions and began running toward a pursuing officer. Taylor was holding an FNH 9mm semi-automatic handgun and he fired at least one round at the officer, who returned fire. The officer saw Taylor drop a large bag of crack cocaine (later determined to be 32.9 grams) as he ran. The officer took cover near a residence but continued to engage in the foot pursuit. When the officer rounded the edge of the residence, he saw Taylor attempting to climb a fence near the rear of the residence. Taylor fired his handgun again at the officer, who again returned fire. Taylor jumped the fence and stumbled and fell as he attempted to get to his feet. Taylor again turned toward the officer with the firearm still in his hand. The officer fired his firearm two more times at Taylor, at which time Taylor dropped his firearm. Taylor, who suffered several gun-shot wounds, was taken into custody and transported to the emergency room. The officer was not injured.
Prior to this incident, police officers saw Taylor conducting a drug transaction on March 7, 2012. Officers approached Taylor’s car and Taylor drove off. A high speed chase ensued and Taylor committed numerous traffic violations during the chase. Taylor jumped out of the Jeep in the area of 81st and Brooklyn and ran. Officers searched for Taylor and found him hiding in a storm drainage area. Officers found a loaded Glock.40-caliber pistol on the ground nearby. When they searched Taylor’s vehicle, officers found a plastic baggie that contained 20.62 grams of crack cocaine.
On June 5, 2012, police officers were called to a vacant house in response to a report of a suspicious vehicle. They contacted Taylor, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. When officers asked Taylor to step out of the vehicle, he put the vehicle in drive and drove into the back yard of a residence. Taylor crashed the vehicle head-on into a cinder block wall and ran from the scene. Officers found 80 grams of marijuana, a brown bottle containing PCP,.8 gram of crack cocaine, 12 unknown pills, and a Glock.40-caliber pistol in the vehicle.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Taylor has a prior felony conviction for shooting from a vehicle, four prior convictions for assault and five prior convictions for armed criminal action.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdicts, ending a trial that began Monday, Feb. 24, 2013.
Under federal statutes, Taylor is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 60 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Edwards. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
