After a recent three-day trial, a federal jury in Pensacola found Quinton L. Pete, of Ocala, Florida, guilty of attempted Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The guilty verdict was announced by Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
On March 9, 2022, a few minutes before 4am, two employees at Coyote’s Sports Bar, which is next to Cordova Mall in Pensacola, were shot at point blank range by Pete during an attempted robbery of the business. The victims were not able to identify the shooter at the time because of their wounds, but they provided a general description to law enforcement.
Law enforcement obtained surveillance videos from surrounding businesses and identified a white Jeep Grand Cherokee in the area at the time of the crime. Pete was apprehended the next day in Dallas, Texas, driving a matching white Jeep Grand Cherokee that was registered to him. Pete was in possession of the firearm that was used in the commission of the robbery, as later identified by ballistics comparison. Pete’s phone location also placed him in the area at the time he committed the crime.
Pete has prior felony convictions for burglary of a dwelling with a firearm, grand theft, and shooting at, within or into a dwelling, and was released from prison only seven months prior to these offenses.
Sentencing in the case is set for October 26th at 1pm, at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola before U.S. District Judge T.K. Wetherell. Pete faces a maximum of 30 years imprisonment.
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pensacola Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, Grand Prairie Police Department in Dallas, Texas, the U.S. Marshals, and the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
As part of its PSN strategy, the U.S. 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.
