Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Deshawn I. Donson, a 21-year-old resident of Pensacola, Florida, faces federal charges for allegedly committing eighteen armed robberies in Escambia County. The charges were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Donson is scheduled to appear before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola on June 24, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
The indictment accuses Donson of Interference with Commerce by Threats or Violence, Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. These charges stem from armed robberies conducted between 2022 and 2025.
Court documents reveal that Donson was apprehended following an armed robbery on May 18, 2025. His capture involved a high-speed chase concluded by law enforcement using vehicle immobilization techniques.
If convicted on these charges, Donson could face life imprisonment.
The investigation is being carried out jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; the Pensacola Police Department; and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jennifer H. Callahan are prosecuting the case.
It is important to note that an indictment is not evidence of guilt but merely an allegation by a grand jury that requires proof beyond reasonable doubt during trial proceedings where all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among ninety-four offices operating under the direction of the Attorney General as principal litigators across the nation. Public court documents can be accessed online through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. Further information about this office can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
