Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Firing Machine Gun at Georgia State Trooper

Montrez Ballard, 21, of Hampton, Georgia, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for firing a machine gun at a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) trooper during a high-speed chase on July 21, 2023. Ballard was convicted of endangering the life of a law enforcement officer after his violent actions.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Moultrie, Jr., Ballard’s reckless behavior posed a severe threat to public safety. “Ballard’s brazen actions endangered the life of a law enforcement officer,” he said. “This lengthy prison sentence reflects Ballard’s dangerous, and potentially lethal, attack on a Georgia State Patrol trooper whose very mission is to help keep our community safe.”

The incident began when Ballard, driving a Nissan Maxima, abruptly cut off a GSP trooper in Atlanta. When the trooper activated his emergency lights to stop Ballard, the suspect fled the scene, driving over 20 miles per hour above the speed limit through a residential neighborhood. During the chase, Ballard ran stop signs and narrowly avoided a collision with another vehicle.

Minutes later, Ballard crashed his car into a stop sign. He then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. As the trooper pursued him, Ballard confronted the officer and fired at least three shots from a Glock 19 handgun. The trooper returned fire, but Ballard managed to escape the scene.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, quickly responded to assist in the search for Ballard. He was eventually arrested, and his firearm, which had been modified into a machine gun, was recovered. The modification allowed the weapon to fire continuously with one pull of the trigger, making it capable of rapid fire without requiring multiple trigger pulls.

Ballard had been on probation for a state robbery offense at the time of the incident. The recovered firearm, a Glock 19 9mm handgun, was examined and determined to be illegally modified, which contributed to the firearm’s classification as a machine gun.

Ballard was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. prosecuted the case.

The investigation into Ballard’s actions was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), with valuable assistance from the Atlanta Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

In response to the case, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Jones stated, “The swift and coordinated response of law enforcement ensured that a dangerous individual was taken off the streets before he could inflict further harm.” She also emphasized ATF’s commitment to addressing the use of illegally modified weapons in criminal activity.