7 federally charged for crimes in Minneapolis' Ventura Village neighborhood
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As a result of increased gang activity around the area of Franklin and Chicago in Minneapolis, acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats has announced federal charges against seven individuals.
According to court documents, throughout 2020 law enforcement documented a recent increase in gang activity with numerous violent incidents, including murder, drug trafficking and illegal gun possession.
On June 10, 2021, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department conducting surveillance in the area observed several individuals engaging in what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug deals. When officers approached the group, Albert Walter Bratton III, 26, attempted to flee on foot, but officers were able to apprehend him after he stumbled and fell – recovering a Glock semiautomatic pistol in the process. Officers later recovered two baggies containing a total of approximately 10 grams of crack cocaine in his possession.
On June 15, 2021, Marion Quintel Ware, 19, carjacked a 2007 Ford Focus by using force and intimidation against the victim.
On July 21, 2021, Namiri Love Laquandas Tanner, 21, was in possession of a Glock pistol with a high-capacity magazine, equipped with an attached conversion device, commonly known as a "Glock switch" or "auto-sear." According to police, the devices are designed to convert a semi-automatic weapon to shoot automatically by a single pull of the trigger and are classified as machine guns under federal law.
Four additional defendants have been indicted for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Shamar Jamareus Scott, 21, is charged with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Anthony Shaquan Kemp, Jr., 22, is charged with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Devon Martell Harmon and Tiray Yvonne Dyson, both 38, are each charged with one count of possessing ammunition as a felon. All four defendants have previous felony convictions and are therefore prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
These cases are the result of an investigation led by the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI, the ATF, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Secret Service.
Each case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program – the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.