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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An 18-year-old Gainesville resident, Devon Oliver, has been handed a two-year federal prison sentence for possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Heekin remarked, “Our communities have endured the scourge of gang violence for far too long. Operation Take Back America harnesses the full power of the Department of Justice to eliminate these perilous, violent offenders from our streets. This successful prosecution represents another victory for the citizens of the Northern District of Florida, affirming our unwavering commitment to ensuring they enjoy the safe streets they deserve.”
Details of the Arrest
On the afternoon of October 22, 2025, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer initiated a traffic stop on a scooter at Arbor Park Apartments, located at 309 SW 16th Avenue, citing an unspecified traffic infraction. Upon making eye contact with the officer, the scooter rider began fleeing westward through the apartment complex. Despite the officer’s command to halt, the rider, later identified as Devon Oliver, reversed direction and ran eastward, holding the right side of his clothing. The officer radioed that Oliver was fleeing while gripping something, a behavior frequently observed when an individual is carrying a firearm.
The officer eventually found Oliver, a documented member of a local gang, sitting on the second floor of a stairwell. Officers traced his flight path and found shoes matching the ones he’d worn at the time of the traffic stop and a 9mm Palmetto State firearm in some shrubs; the firearm had an extended magazine, was loaded with 22 rounds, had purple and white rubber bands around it, and was missing the bottom section of the frame, where the serial number would be.
Post Miranda, Oliver reportedly said he had purchased the firearm from an unknown white man for $1,500 a few months ago. He reportedly admitted to discarding the firearm while he ran “due to the fear of being shot by police.” He said he did not remove the serial number from the firearm but just added the rubber bands.
Oliver, who was attending an alternative high school at the time of his arrest, also has a juvenile conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Chief Moya: “We will have zero tolerance for violent offenders who arm themselves unlawfully”
“A weapon with its serial number removed and loaded with an extended magazine is a direct threat to every resident and every officer who encounters it,” said Chief Moya, Gainesville Police Department. “We will have zero tolerance for violent offenders who arm themselves unlawfully, and we will continue working relentlessly to take these guns off our streets.”
After serving two years in prison, Oliver will be on supervised release for an additional three years, during which he will be on home detention for six months.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Gainesville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.