Jeremiah Peter Watson, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Maryland 2021

Beltsville Man Charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm After Shooting at Security Guards at U.S. Secret Service Facility

A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Jeremiah Peter Watson, 22, of Hyattsville, Maryland, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stem from an incident on February 25, 2021, at the U.S. Secret Service facility in Beltsville, Maryland.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Watson allegedly pulled up to the gated entry of the facility in a dark four-door sedan with significant damage to the passenger front and side. The driver, later identified as Watson, got out of the car and approached the security guard in an aggressive manner. Despite being given verbal commands to stop, Watson continued to approach and was pepper sprayed by a security officer. Watson returned to his vehicle and began to fire a handgun at the victims, who fled into the guard house with bullet-proof glass.

The victims identified Watson as the person who had shot at them, and a search of the scene recovered three .9mm shell casings. Law enforcement searched Watson’s vehicle and found a .9mm handgun loaded with three .9mm rounds in the magazine and a fourth in the chamber. Three .9mm shell casings were also recovered from the trunk jamb of the vehicle.

Watson was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The actual sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Watson is currently detained and is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Monday, March 1, 2021.

A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt, and Watson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making communities safer.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

Watson’s vehicle was located where he has been residing, and a federal search warrant was executed earlier today at the residence and on Watson’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered a .9mm handgun loaded with three .9mm rounds in the magazine and a fourth in the chamber from the vehicle. From the trunk jamb law enforcement recovered three .9mm shell casings, allegedly similar to the shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting.

Watson’s current status is detained, and he is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Monday, March 1, 2021. The maximum sentence for the crime is 10 years in federal prison, but the actual sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge.

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