NORFOLK, Va. - A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machine gun after a Norfolk shootout ended in a police pursuit and crash in July 2021.
According to court documents, on July 18, 2021, Norfolk Police officers were in the vicinity of the 900 block of Tunstall Avenue in Norfolk when they saw multiple people shooting at each other. The individuals left the scene in three separate vehicles, and during the pursuit that followed, a firearm was tossed from one of the vehicles.
After a 15-minute pursuit ended in a crash in Portsmouth, 25-year-old Virginia Beach man Shy'Quan Dodson was detained while trying to run away from the crashed vehicle.
Police said the firearm tossed from the vehicle was a Glock with an attached component that converted the handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. A search of Dodson’s cell phone showed photos of him holding the weapon, and a primer residue test revealed that Dodson had primer particles on his hands from discharging a firearm.
Dodson’s phone also contained communications with another individual related to the buying and selling of machine gun conversion kits.
Dodson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on August 12.
