Al M. Talaga, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Washington 2020

SEATTLE — A 33-year-old man from Kent, Washington, has been sentenced to two years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm during civil unrest and looting in downtown Seattle.

Al M. Talaga was arrested in September 2020, following an investigation of events that began on June 1, 2020, when Seattle Police officers responded to reports of a break-in and looting at the Sneaker City store on Pike Street in downtown Seattle.

According to the criminal complaint, various suspects were running away from the store, and witnesses said some of the looters had loaded merchandise into a Dodge Magnum that was parked near the store. Police officers noted a number of items that appeared to have been taken from the store, as well as a firearm in the driver’s side door panel of the car.

Police impounded the car and traced its ownership to Talaga. A court-authorized search of the car revealed that there were two firearms in the car, including a loaded .40 caliber Glock in the side pocket of the door and a second loaded handgun under the floor mat on the passenger side of the car.

Talaga is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2005 conviction in King County Superior Court for Second Degree Robbery.

U.S. District Judge James L. Robart told Talaga, “You can’t have guns. We’re talking about a phenomenon plaguing our city.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said, “This defendant was one of a fairly small number of people who hijacked otherwise lawful protests, intended to highlight the issue of racial injustice, to vandalize and steal merchandise from a small business that had been closed for months due to COVID-19. He chose to make the situation even more dangerous by bringing loaded firearms into the area.”

The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham.

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