Brandon Deshun Hawkins

A Tyler gang member was sentenced to federal prison on federal firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

Brandon Deshun Hawkins, 36, was sentenced Tuesday to 37 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle after pleading guilty in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Hawkins was stopped on Oct. 13, 2020, while driving on South Vine Street in Tyler and arrested on outstanding warrants. During the traffic stop, Hawkins threw a plastic bag containing marijuana from the vehicle, according to information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Texas. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a pistol between the driver’s seat and center console.

“Further investigation revealed Hawkins is a member of the Eight Trey Gangster Crips, a criminal street gang, and a convicted felon with five prior convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from a 2008 Tyler shooting,” the office said in the statement. “As a convicted felon, Hawkins is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.”

Hawkins was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 17, 2021.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, according to the office, a program bringing together law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence.