Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
John Caleb Allen, a 26-year-old resident of Bristol, Florida, has been indicted on several federal charges following his arrest on July 24, 2025. The indictment includes two counts of attempted murder of a federal employee, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a federal law enforcement officer, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of illegal possession of a machine gun, and one count of making a false statement to a federal firearm licensee in connection with purchasing firearms. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court documents, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), assisted by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, were executing a federal search warrant at Allen's home when he allegedly opened fire on law enforcement officers. Multiple rounds were fired at the agents before Allen was taken into custody without any shots being fired by law enforcement. The agents involved sustained minor injuries that were not life-threatening.
Allen is scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on August 8, 2025, at the Federal Courthouse in Tallahassee.
If convicted on all charges, Allen could face up to life in prison.
The case is being investigated by the ATF, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain is prosecuting.
“An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial,” according to the release.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ), an initiative that coordinates resources from multiple Justice Department programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to combat violent crime and organized criminal organizations nationwide.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 principal litigation offices under the U.S. Attorney General. More information about public court records can be found at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
