FRESNO - On April 3, 2017, Tremayne Beard, 34, of Fresno, was sentenced to nine years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on the evening of December 5, 2016, and continuing into the early hours of December 6, 2016, Beard was at a party at the Fresno Fairgrounds. Fresno police officers were assigned to patrol the event after a recent surge in gang violence in Fresno. When shots were fired, officers observed Beard leaving the fairgrounds parking lot at a high rate of speed. Police officers followed Beard’s vehicle. Beard crashed into a parked car and a retaining wall, got out of his car and fled into a neighboring backyard. A witness reported seeing Beard throw something. Beard was arrested and police found a .45‑caliber handgun where the witness indicated something had been thrown. Numerous shell casings were found in the area where Beard had been parked at the fairgrounds, including a .45‑caliber casing that matched bullets in the gun found by the police. A partial .45‑caliber bullet was also found lodged in a vehicle parked near the fairgrounds. Beard has multiple prior convictions, and he was identified as a gang member by the Fresno police.
“This case highlights how the prosecution of firearms offenses helps to protect the community,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “The defendant’s conduct on the night of the offense put several lives in dangers, and I am grateful for the cooperative work among our law enforcement partners to hold him accountable for his crimes. My office is committed to prosecuting cases such as these, which have a direct impact on the communities we serve.”
The investigating agencies in this case were the:
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
- Fresno Police Department,
- California Department of Justice,
- California Highway Patrol.
“The defendant was obviously known to law enforcement and had committed, and been convicted of, previous crimes,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Alan Barcelona. “When law enforcement teams work together, public safety is better because of it.”
Fresno Chief of Police Jerry Dyer stated, “Removing Tremayne Beard from our community will have a tremendous positive impact on the safety of our neighborhoods.”
