BEAUMONT, Texas — A 26-year-old New York man has pled guilty to having a gun and ammo near a Beaumont school in federal court Thursday.
Ahmed Abdalla Allam, 26, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Feb. 1, 2023, charging him with possession of a firearm in a school zone.
The next day, he pleaded not guilty.
His attorney, Ryan Gertz, previously filed a motion to dismiss the federal indictment.
But a federal magistrate judge then ordered Allam be held without bond.
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, Allam changed his plea to guilty.
On January 29, 2023, Beaumont Police received multiple calls about a suspicious vehicle around St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School and Temple Emanuel. The callers said a man in a black Toyota Rav 4 with New York license plates was parked across the street and staying there for hours and even days at a time.
When taken into custody, Allam was in possession of a semi-automatic rifle, a 30-round magazine and 150 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition according to the affidavit.
Allam and Gertz will later go to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to argue if the 1000 ft. school zone law violates the Second Amendment.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.