A Richmond man used his 6-year-old nephew to hide a loaded, fully-automatic firearm from police during a traffic stop in 2023, according to federal prosecutors.
Darneko Yates, 30, was found guilty last week of being a felon in possession of a firearm before a U.S. District judge.
With his young nephew and niece in his car, Yates was pulled over for a vehicle infraction in San Pablo on Aug. 27, 2023. He didn’t stop for several blocks before he pulled up partially on to the sidewalk in front of a relative’s house, prosecutors said.
At the time, Yates was on parole following convictions for carjacking and solicitation to commit murder, which made him subject to a search. Police did not find a firearm in the car when they searched it, but they noticed something suspicious when Yates’ 6-year-old nephew got out of the car. Yates urged the child to go inside the house, and the child “moved slowly and kept his back to officers,” prosecutors said.
“When officers looked at the front of the child, they saw an object tucked into the front of his pants,” police said. “Upon further inspection, officers located a Glock firearm loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition inside the six-year-old’s pants.”
Police said the gun had a “Glock switch” or “machinegun conversion device.” Yates sent text messages during the traffic stop informing an individual to come fetch the child and admitted the child had his gun.
“Defendant’s actions inexcusably endangered a young child. Thanks to the careful work of the officers on the scene, this did not turn into a tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “My office will continue to use all resources available to reduce violent crime and gun violence in our communities.”
Yates faces a maximum statutory sentence of 15 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for April 28.
