Jul 31st, 2025
***The press release below was written and submitted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama***
MOBILE, AL – On July 25, 2025, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Brandon Demetrius Pettaway to 110 months imprisonment for Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon. Documents filed with the Court established that on November 22, 2023, the Mobile Police Department (MPD) Homicide Unit, sent out an all-police lookout for Pettaway, who was wanted for questioning in reference to a recent homicide. Pettaway also had three active arrest warrants for his arrest.
On the same day an officer with the U.S. Marshalls Fugitive Task Force advised that he had visual confirmation that Pettaway was inside a Hardee's restaurant located on Highway 90 in Theodore. MPD units responded to the area to apprehend Pettaway on the active warrants. Pettaway exited the restaurant and entered a vehicle. At this time, members of the MPD entered the parking lot in marked police vehicles surrounding Pettaway’s vehicle. Instead of stopping, Pettaway put his vehicle in drive and rammed one of the police vehicle’s head-on with significant force. Unable to force his way out by going forward, Pettaway placed his vehicle in reverse as another officer came forward to close the gap and the vehicles collided. Pettaway, at this point, was successfully boxed-in and was unable to get past the police patrol vehicles.
However, Pettaway then fled from his vehicle on foot. One of the officers gave chase on foot behind Pettaway and gave him numerous verbal commands to stop running and get on the ground. Pettaway refused to obey commands, and the officer drew his Taser and fired it twice at Pettaway. One of the probes made contact but to no avail as Pettaway continued fleeing on foot through the parking lot of a pawn shop. Pettaway attempted to jump over a wooden fence topped with barbed wire.
At this point the officer caught up with the defendant and grabbed hold of both of his legs in an attempt to remove him from the fence to take him into custody. Pettaway resisted arrest and continued to keep his grip on the barbed wire until another officer arrived to assist. The officers had to use physical force to remove Pettaway from the fence and break his grip on the barbed wire and he was subsequently detained. A later search of Pettaway’s vehicle revealed a Glock, Model 20, 10mm handgun in the vehicle along with a magazine extender and a magazine designed to insert into the extender.
Officers also found three small baggies of marijuana, a small baggie of crack cocaine, a small baggie of crystal methamphetamine and two digital scales in the vehicle. 2 Pettaway had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses, prior to possessing the firearm: Felon in Possession of a Firearm, on January 18, 2018 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama; Burglary Third Degree, on November 10, 2011, in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama, and Robbery First Degree on September 12, 2011, in the Circuit Court of Mobile, County, Alabama.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Mobile Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdal/
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MOBILE POLICE DEPARTMENT