Pawtucket Man Nabbed By Warwick Police Sentenced On Gun Charge

A man known to Pawtucket police as a member of the Bucket East gang was sentenced to serve four years in state prison after pleading to a firearms charge stemming from a Warwick traffic stop.

John Laboy, 23, appeared in Kent County Superior Court on Tuesday where he pleaded nolo contendere to a single charge of possessing a firearm while on probation for a previous crime. Under Rhode Island law, individuals convicted of certain violent crimes are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. Superior Court Magistrate John F. McBurney III sentenced Laboy to 10 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, or ACI, with four years to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended with probation.

Had the case proceeded to trial, the state was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that during the afternoon of December 26, 2020, Laboy was arrested by the Warwick Police Department following a vehicle stop and brief foot chase, during which the defendant discarded a loaded handgun, according to a statement from Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

Neronha said Warwick police officers on that day conducted a routine traffic stop on Airport Road, and Laboy jumped from the front passenger door of a Nissan Altima and ran. Police observed Laboy discard a silver Smith and Wesson SD40 pistol while crossing Granger Court. Police secured the handgun, which was loaded with a full magazine and a bullet in the chamber. Officers continued their pursuit and apprehended Laboy in the front yard of a nearby home.

Laboy is a known member of the Pawtucket-based Bucket East gang, Neronha said. Laboy was previously convicted of conspiracy charges stemming from his role in instigating a confrontation outside of Providence Superior Court in 2017, which led to a daytime shooting on Crawford Bridge in downtown Providence.

"Illegal firearms are a tremendous risk to the safety of all Rhode Islanders because of the consistent connection they have to so many instances of violent crime," stated Neronha. "Persons like the defendant here, with a history of criminal misconduct and armed with a gun during a traffic stop, pose a tremendous risk to police officers and to the broader community. The defendant compounded the risk he posed to others by fleeing and discarding his loaded gun where anyone could have found it, including a child. I am grateful to the Warwick Police Department for their excellent work in this case."

The investigation and prosecution was handled by officers Michael Bailey and Kyle Fitzsimmons of the Warwick Police Department and Special Assistant Attorney General David Bonzagni.