Quinton Jackson was driving in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward in August 2014 when police pulled him over on a routine traffic violation.
Rather than comply with the orders of the officer, federal authorities said Jackson reached under his seat for a gun.
He had multiple felony drug convictions. And earlier that summer, Jackson allegedly dragged an Atlanta police officer down the road in another traffic stop.
He told officers he reached for the gun because he did not want to return to prison.
But that is exactly where he is headed.
Jackson, 36, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Bob Page said Friday.
“Fortunately APD officers quickly subdued him and resolved the situation without injury to anyone involved,” U.S. Attorney John Horn said. “Unlawfully possessed weapons are a serious threat to the safety and security of our communities, especially in the hands of dangerous criminals.”
That was not the only thing police found in Jackson’s car during that traffic stop. Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine were in the vehicle, and Jackson told police he sold drugs, Page said.
Jackson, who was convicted in July, was sentenced as an armed career criminal. At the end of his prison term, Jackson will be under five years of supervised release, Page said.
“For Atlanta to be a safe city,” Atlanta police Chief Erika Shields said, “we must continue to get repeat offenders off our streets.”
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