ATLANTA — A convicted felon will spend time in federal prison for assaulting a federal task force officer with a gun.
“Pharms is a repeat violent offender who callously threatened the safety of citizens and a law enforcement officer,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office is grateful for the exemplary collaborative efforts and sacrificial service of our federal and local law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to especially protect our communities from dangerous criminals.”
In Feb. 2022, Pharms used his mother’s car to steal a Dodge Charger from a garage in a midtown Atlanta complex eight days after his release from a Georgia State prison.
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An 18-year-old co-defendant drove the Chevy, while another co-defendant, Jokava Harris, accompanied Pharms to the garage.
Harris, officials said used a key programmer to steal the Charger and the co-defendant trailed the stolen Dodge Charger in the Chevy with Pharms in the passenger seat acting as an armed escort.
The particular area where Pharms and the co-defendant stole the Charger was an area where cars were being stolen at a significant rate. Because of this, an FBI task force officer was surveilling the area when he observed the two vehicles traveling in tandem.
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The officer followed the vehicles and that is when Pharms reportedly fired multiple shots out of the window of the Chevy. The officer continued to trail the vehicles when he spotted a potential ambush set up by Pharms and his co-defendants.
One of the shots fired hit the officer’s vehicle, narrowly missing the headrest.
Pharms and his co-defendants fled the vehicle on foot, escaping arrest. They were later caught and arrested. All three pleaded guilty and were sentence.
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Pharms was sentenced to 15 years, two months, and 10 days in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In September, Pharms was also convicted by a federal jury of assault on a federal officer, carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a contraband cellphone, and possession of an escape tool.