Lawrence Russoe, Gun Possession Near School, Maryland 2023

BALTIMORE, MD – Lawrence Russoe, 37, of Baltimore, is headed to federal prison for five years – the maximum allowed by law – after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of Belair-Edison Middle School. The case, a joint effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD), highlights the ongoing struggle to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and away from schools.

The incident unfolded on June 7, 2021, when BPD detectives spotted a stolen gray Hyundai at a fast-food drive-thru on Greenmount Avenue. When detectives attempted a traffic stop, Russoe bolted, leading officers on a high-speed chase. A BPD helicopter tracked the vehicle as Russoe recklessly fled through city streets. He briefly ejected a passenger before abandoning the car – still moving – in the 3500 block of Parklawn Avenue and taking off on foot.

Detectives quickly apprehended Russoe and discovered a loaded extended magazine containing seven rounds of 9mm ammunition on the floor of the stolen Hyundai. Crucially, a search of the satchel Russoe carried revealed a privately made firearm (PMF), commonly referred to as a “ghost gun” – a Polymer 80, 9mm semi-automatic pistol lacking a serial number. Also found in the satchel were a scale, seven baggies of marijuana, a single gelcap containing a cocktail of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, and a cell phone.

Russoe admitted in his guilty plea that he knowingly drove past Belair-Edison Middle School while carrying the gun and ammunition. The firearm and magazine were recovered approximately 500 feet from the school grounds. U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron stated bluntly, “Schools should be sacred and free from fear. Felon or no felon, if you’re caught with a gun around a school, we’re seeking to prosecute you federally.”

This isn’t Russoe’s first brush with the law. He is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Baltimore City Circuit Court for first-degree assault and prior firearm possession with a felony conviction. Judge Richard D. Bennett ordered that the five-year federal sentence run concurrently with his state time. Russoe will also forfeit the ghost gun, the extended magazine, and the ammunition. The case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence.

ATF Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby and Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison joined U.S. Attorney Barron in announcing the sentence. The collaborative effort underscores the federal government’s commitment to tackling gun violence in Baltimore, a city consistently plagued by high rates of violent crime. The investigation serves as a warning: bringing illegal weapons near schools will be met with the full force of federal law.

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