Jason Walsh faces federal prison time for January 9 incident
By Sam Catanzaro
A Santa Monica man previously convicted for making terrorist threats now faces up to 30 years in federal prison after shooting a bullet into his neighbor’s yard where a gathering with children was taking place.
According to the Santa Monica Polie Department (SMPD), on January 9, around 9:00 p.m., officers responded to a report from a resident on 400 block of 19th Street who heard “popping” sounds in the vicinity. The neighbor, who was having a gathering in his backyard with eight guests, including children, noticed a hole had been shot through his garage.
“Officers arrived and while speaking to the resident, they heard two additional muffled sounds coming from the residence just east of them on 20th Street. Officers responded to the 400 block of 20th Street and contacted Jason Walsh, who lives directly behind the residence where they began their investigation,” the SMPD said.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFF), SMPD officers obtained and executed a search warrant at Walsh’s residence. In the house, SMPD seized a loaded, short-barreled, AR-type rifle bearing no serial number; two loaded, semi-automatic Polymer80 9mm caliber firearms bearing no serial numbers, one with an attached silencer; additional suspected silencers; firearm magazines; an ammunition reloading device; and approximately 367 rounds of ammunition and 58 9mm caliber cartridge casings.
The ATF says Walsh was previously convicted of a felony charge for making terrorist threats in April 2014. As a result, Walsh is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.
Walsh was arrested in this case on February 8, 2021 and he has been in federal custody since that time. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on February 26 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. If he were to be convicted of the charges in the indictment, Walsh would face up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the three felony counts in the indictment, according to officials.
