OAKLAND — Federal prosecutors have charged a local resident with possessing guns in a storage unit and his pickup truck, items that were found after police say he was “accidentally” released from custody with a pending shooting and robbery case.
Patrice Davis, 31, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is also facing robbery and shooting charges related to a January 2024 incident where Oakland police identified him as the man who robbed a family of five inside a GMC, pistol-whipped the father and said, “I don’t give a f—, I’ll kill you and your children” to dissuade him from resisting, court records show.
The victim in the robbery later identified Davis, whose parole GPS ankle monitor also placed him at the scene, according to police. The victim’s “Find My iPhone” app also helped police track the stolen phone to Davis’ Oakland home, authorities said.
“I’ll never forget his face,” the victim allegedly told authorities during the identification.
Davis’ new charges stem from a March 2024 search of a San Leandro storage unit he rented and of his pickup truck, where three pistols and a rifle were reportedly found. He’s not allowed to have guns due to having six prior felony convictions from 2013 to 2023, according to court records.
But the why was Davis out of custody in March 2024, despite being arrested in the shooting case two months earlier? Police said in court records he was “accidentally” set free and then “absconded from court,” meaning that he failed to turn himself in after the mistake.
Davis has been in jail since his March 2024 re-arrest, and is currently undergoing mental health diversion in the robbery case. This new federal case may put a wrinkle in that process; he faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. In the state case, he is next due in court on Sept. 23, records show.
During his January 2024 arrest in Oakland, police allege they saw him and another man tossing guns over a fence in an attempt to conceal them from arresting officers, according to court records.