Deshawn Donson’s 18-Armed-Robbery Spree Ends in Federal Charges

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – In a brazen crime spree that terrorized gas stations and convenience stores across Escambia County, Deshawn I. Donson, 21, of Pensacola, Florida, has been indicted in federal court on charges related to eighteen armed robberies.

The Indictment charges Donson with 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 for eighteen armed robberies between 2022 – 2025.

According to court documents, Donson was captured by law enforcement after an armed robbery on May 18, 2025, which resulted in a high-speed vehicle chase and a vehicle immobilization technique utilized by sheriff’s deputies to stop and apprehend Donson.

Donson is scheduled for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Hope Thai Cannon at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida on June 24, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. If convicted, Donson faces up to life imprisonment.

The case is jointly investigated 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. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jennifer H. Callahan.

Despite the seriousness of the charges, 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.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.