Baltimore Felon William Warren Gets 15 Years for Gun Possession

Baltimore streets ran hot with gun violence long before William Warren, 28, was caught red-handed ditching a loaded .45 caliber handgun into a backyard while fleeing police. But his reckless act on September 17, 2014, sealed his fate: 15 years behind federal bars, no excuses, no second chances.

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz handed down the sentence after Warren pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm—a charge that hits hard given his criminal history. Warren, a known member of a violent drug crew operating in East Baltimore, tried to outrun the law on a bicycle in the 400 block of East 21st Street. He didn’t get far. Police watched as he clutched his waist and bolted into an alley—then flung the loaded weapon over a fence into the yard of 2208 Barclay Street.

The gun, loaded with nine live rounds, was recovered within minutes. Officers had been patrolling the area due to an ongoing war between rival drug crews. Warren’s flight and concealment of the weapon confirmed what investigators already knew—he was armed and dangerous. His three prior felony drug convictions stripped him of any legal right to possess a firearm, making every second he carried that gun a federal crime.

Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives didn’t mince words: “ATF Baltimore will continue to focus the entirety of their investigative resources towards any persons or organizations who perpetrate firearm related violence upon the citizens of Baltimore and all surrounding communities.” Warren, he said, is exactly the kind of offender they’re built to stop.

The federal sentence will run concurrently with a 22-year state sentence Warren is already serving for an unrelated gun charge. That means no extra time on the streets, but also no early reprieve. For the residents of East Baltimore who live under the constant shadow of gun violence, it’s one less trigger-puller off the grid—for now.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the collaboration between the ATF, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, which secured the conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane prosecuted the case, ensuring Warren’s past didn’t excuse his present. In a city where guns kill daily, the message from the courthouse was clear: get caught with a firearm while felons, and the feds will come hard.