A 20-year-old Fresno man was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm following a high-speed chase that endangered bystanders, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

Thomas Carter Beasley led officers on Nov. 16, 2024, through stop signs at high speeds before crashing into a parked car and fleeing on foot through a nearby apartment complex, according to court documents.

Officers later recovered a loaded Glock 27 .40-caliber pistol hidden under a doormat in the breezeway Beasley ran through. The gun’s serial number matched a firearm left in the crashed vehicle.

Beasley, who was on probation at the time, is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction for receiving a stolen motor vehicle. The firearm seized contained 21 rounds of ammunition.

The case is being investigated by the Fresno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Robert Veneman-Hughes are prosecuting.

If convicted, Beasley faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This arrest was part of Operation Take Back America is a nationwide DOJ initiative that targets illegal immigration, dismantles cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and combats violent crime using resources from OCDETFs and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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