Quinton L. Pete, 33, of Ocala, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with attempted Hobbs Act robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Pete was arrested on this case in Dallas, Texas, a day after the armed robbery in Pensacola.
The federal indictment alleges that on or about March 9, 2022, Pete attempted to rob persons at the Coyote’s Sports Bar, which is next to Cordova Mall in Pensacola. It also alleges Pete did so with a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony. The Pensacola Police Department was the first to respond to and investigate the crime scene. Working in conjunction with the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service, the Pensacola Police Department was able to locate Pete in Dallas, Texas, and have him taken into custody without incident.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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 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 available 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.
