Baltimore, MD – Taft Redd, 45, struck six businesses in a violent crime spree that terrorized store clerks and customers across Baltimore in the summer of 2015. Between July 22 and August 18, Redd walked into convenience stores, shoe shops, and a fast-food joint, flashed what looked like a black handgun, and demanded cash—leaving employees shaken and communities on edge.
U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis handed down a 10-year federal prison sentence on Wednesday, followed by 3 years of supervised release. The punishment caps a swift investigation that traced Redd’s string of robberies to a single black BB gun recovered when he was arrested on August 19, 2015—just one day after his final heist.
According to his plea agreement, Redd hit the same convenience store twice—once on July 22 and again on August 18—both times in the 5200 block of Harford Road. He robbed a shoe store on Greenmount Avenue on July 22, then struck two separate locations on Erdman Avenue on July 29 and August 12. His final target was a fast food restaurant at the 2000 block of N. Broadway on August 16.
Witnesses consistently described a man brandishing a black handgun. Forensic review confirmed the weapon recovered from Redd was the same seen in surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts—a BB gun modified to look real, a dangerous deception under federal firearms laws.
The case was jointly announced by U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, FBI Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Federal prosecutors emphasized that Redd’s use of a weapon designed to intimidate as a firearm elevated the crimes to federal level.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Sullivan prosecuted the case, securing a sentence that matches the brazen nature of the crimes. Rosenstein praised the coordination between the FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and State’s Attorney’s Office, calling the arrest and conviction a win for public safety in a city plagued by violent crime.
Related Federal Cases
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- Swain J. Clarke Gets 20 Years for Spree of Armed Store Robberies · Maryland
- Derrick Rondell Battle Gets 198 Months for Armed Robberies · Maryland
- Derrick Rondell Battle Pleads Guilty to Armed Robberies · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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