A former resident of West Mifflin, who was previously convicted of aggravated assault, possession of unlicensed firearms, and terroristic threats, has pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh federal court to violating drug and firearms laws, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh announced Tuesday.
Giante Hilliard, 30, was charged with four counts, according to a release. The defendant admitted during his plea hearing to three separate incidents in March and May 2023 that led to the charges.
In March 2023, shots were fired outside of a bar in McKees Rocks. Video footage of the incident shows Hilliard and another individual leaving the bar and starting to drive off, when a third person began shooting at the car, according to the release.
Footage then shows Hilliard firing back at the shooter from the car’s passenger seat.
Then, in May of that same year, the defendant was in a car that police were trying to stop. But instead of stopping, the driver “rammed into three law enforcement vehicles,” before driving off, the release said.
During this interaction, officers saw Hilliard with a black gun, according to the release. Locating the damaged car that was left at a nearby store, police reviewed camera footage showing the car’s driver and Hilliard leaving the car and going separate ways.
Hilliard was holding a black bag at the time, which he tried hiding under a dumpster, according to the release. Police later found the black bag that held a loaded gun and 300 doses of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.
It was later discovered that the gun was reported stolen, according to the release. After investigating the incident and searching the phones left inside the damaged car, officials filed a warrant for Hilliard’s arrest.
Later that month, the defendant posted a video on social media of him with a gun, according to the release. Officials secured a search warrant for the home where Hilliard was hiding, along with his car.
Police surrounded the house and fired tear gas into it, according to the release. During the search, officers found a box of ammunition, 100 stamp bags that had the same logo as those in the black bag found under the dumpster, the same heroin and fentanyl mixture, and a gun inside the car without a serial number.
The defendant pleaded guilty in front of District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan to owning ammunition and a gun in regards to the incident in March; possession of heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime for the first incident in May; and being a felon with ammunition for the final incident in May, according to the release.
First Published: September 4, 2024, 3:52 p.m.
Updated: September 4, 2024, 5:02 p.m.