Wayne Banks, 42, of St. Louis, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury for felon in possession of a firearm. He was charged by a complaint on August 17, 2020, is in federal custody, and was presented in federal court this afternoon.
According to court documents, on August 16, 2020, a Berkeley Police Department officer was on patrol in his police car near an apartment complex in Berkeley, Missouri. He saw a large crowd of individuals in a parking lot of the apartment complex, in violation of the “no loitering” signs posted throughout the complex. The officer asked the crowd to leave or go back inside the complex because they were loitering.
According to court documents, Banks confronted the officer. Banks punched the officer in the head. As Banks and the officer struggled, he pulled a gun on the officer. The officer managed to turn the gun away from him. Banks, however, continued attempting to turn the gun on the officer.
Officers eventually secured Banks and seized a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson Taurus, semiautomatic pistol from Banks.
These charges are the result of an investigation by the Berkeley Police Department and Missouri Department of Public Safety.
