PONTIAC, Mich. – An Oakland County man was found near a half dozen guns while police investigated him for firing shots at another vehicle as he hung out the window of an SUV, authorities said.
Suspected shooter
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Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said this investigation centered around Lorente Lamar Washington, 30, of Pontiac.
Washington pleaded guilty March 4, 2021, to felony domestic violence -- third offense. He was sentenced to 24 months of probation and ordered not to use or possess firearms or deadly weapons.
He’s not allowed to leave the state of Michigan without permission, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday (May 17).
April shooting
Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said they received reports of a shooting at 7:37 p.m. April 11, 2022, in the area of Colorado Avenue and Motor Street in Pontiac.
A witness told police that someone in the back seat of a blue Dodge Durango had gotten out and fired multiple shots north on Motor Street. The witness provided a description of the person, but deputies couldn’t locate any victims or evidence, they said.
Officials re-canvassed the area the next day and recovered security camera footage of a blue Durango heading south on Motor Street, court records say. When the SUV got to the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Motor Street, gunshots can be heard in the video, deputies said.
A dark gray Jeep Grand Cherokee could be seen heading north at a high speed following the sound of gunfire, according to authorities. It stopped just south of a driveway on Nebraska Avenue, and the front-seat passenger hung out the window to fire a pistol in the direction of the Durango, the criminal complaint says.
The person firing shots was described as a man with short hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt, a gray hooded sweatshirt, and pink boxer shorts, police said.
After firing shots, the man yelled, “Come on! Come on,” while waving the pistol, authorities said. Deputies believe he was directing the Durango to follow the Jeep.
Deputies and ATF officials recovered 18 9 mm bullet casings in the area of Motor Street and Colorado Avenue, they said. Six more were found in the area of Motor Street and Nebraska Avenue, according to authorities.
Jeep found
Oakland County officials said on April 19, they located a dark gray 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee with gunshot damage. It had a Michigan license plate that was registered to Washington, court records show.
The Jeep was partially hidden under a tarp at a vacant home on South Marshall Street in Pontiac, according to the criminal complaint.
The front door of the home was open and there were no working utilities when police tried to make contact with possible occupants, deputies said.
Officials towed the Jeep to the Pontiac Substation and received a warrant to search it. On April 20, authorities searched the Jeep and found a 9 mm fired cartridge case in the driver’s side windshield well, they said.
Oakland County lab experts said the cartridge case was fired from the same gun as the six casings found at the Motor Street and Nebraska Avenue scene.
There were multiple documents inside the Jeep that belonged to Washington, including court records, a traffic ticket, and unemployment insurance documents from Michigan and Ohio, the court records said.
Pontiac home searched
On Monday (May 16), officials served a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of North Cass Avenue in Pontiac.
Authorities said Washington tried to flee out the side door when police entered, but he encountered an ATF officer and went back inside after opening the door. The entry team eventually found him lying on a living room couch, they said.
AFT officials said they found three guns in the living room:
- A black Beretta APX 9 mm pistol was found in the living room end table, directly next to the couch. It was loaded with one round in the chamber and 15 rounds in the extended magazine, which was inserted in the firearm.
- A brown wood and metal Zastava model N-PAPDF 7.62-caliber rifle was found in the living room closet. It was loaded with one round in the chamber and 30 rounds in the magazine, which was inserted in the firearm.
- A black American Tactical OMNI-Hybrid multi-caliber AR pistol was found in the living room closet. It was loaded with one round of .223-caliber ammo in the chamber and 30 rounds in the magazine, which was inserted in the firearm.
Three more guns were found in the front passenger floorboard of a Durango parked in the backyard, according to authorities:
- A black and tan ROMARM SA-CUGIR SAR-1 7.62-caliber rifle loaded with one round in the chamber and numerous rounds in two 30-round magazines that were duct taped together and inserted in the firearm.
- A gray Black Rain Ordinance SPEC15 multi-caliber rifle loaded with one round of 7.62-caliber ammunition in the chamber and 31 rounds in the magazine, which was inserted in the firearm.
- A black Master Piece Arms 9 mm pistol, with an empty extended magazine inserted.
ATF officials said they also found hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the home.
The homeowner told police that she had seen the Beretta APX 9 mm pistol on the end table next to Washington when officials entered her home. She said she looked at Washington and yelled, “What the f---?”
She told officials that she had never previously seen any of the firearms inside the house, except for one that’s lawfully registered to her. That weapon was not referenced above, according to the criminal complaint.
Interview
Oakland County detectives and ATF officials interviewed Washington around noon Monday, after the search.
He admitted to possessing a gun April 11 during the shooting, but didn’t know the make or model, according to authorities. He admitted to being on probation for a felony domestic violence offense at the time, the criminal complaint says.
Washington told police that he had received the gun from the driver before shots were fired at him from the other vehicle, court records show.
He said he fired the gun about 16 times after being fired at, according to authorities.
When Washington reviewed the surveillance video, he confirmed he was the person firing out the window of the vehicle, officials said.
Police said Washington denied owning the Baretta 9 mm pistol that was found on the end table next to where he was lying on the couch. He denied knowing about or owning of any of the guns found at the home, according to court records.
Charges
The complaint concludes that there’s enough probable cause to charge Washington with felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of ammunition.
