Man Pleads Guilty to Being Felon in Possession of Gun Equipped with Auto Sear in 2024

NORFOLK, Va. — Jahtay Sincere Norman, 20, pleaded guilty to possessing a machine gun and being in possession of that gun as a convicted felon after police found Mr. Norman to have been in possession of a modified firearm that they found stashed in a bush in a residential area on New Year’s Eve last year.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2024, Mr. Norman was at a party inside a short-term rental house on Hillside Avenue, where he assaulted two women and drew a gun on an individual he thought was making advances at his girlfriend. People at the party called the police, and after Mr. Norman walked out of the house, concerned residents also called the police to report that there was a man outside with a gun. When officers arrived, they found Mr. Norman arguing outside with other partygoers, and everyone at the scene was detained for questioning. Based on the description of Mr. Norman from the 911 calls and a video that a partygoer had recorded showing Mr. Norman brandishing the firearm, the officers identified Mr. Norman as the suspect.

The officers got permission from the owner to search the rental property and its perimeter, eventually seizing from a bush the same gun Mr. Norman had brandished in the video. The gun was equipped with an extended magazine and with an auto sear — the latter qualifying the firearm as a machine gun under Virginia law due to it allowing guns to fire automatically with a single trigger pull. The gun was missing a grip, which police recovered from Mr. Norman’s person when he was detained. Mr. Norman has prior felony convictions which prohibit him from possessing firearms.

On Oct. 29, 2025, Mr. Norman entered an agreement to plead guilty to possession of a machine gun and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and to face an active sentence of up to five years in prison. In exchange for his guilty pleas, the Commonwealth agreed to withdraw additional charges Mr. Norman was facing from this incident. Judge Jennifer L. Fuschetti accepted Mr. Norman’s plea agreement and set his sentencing hearing on Jan. 23, 2026.

“Automatic firearms have no place in the streets of Norfolk, and prohibited persons have no business possessing any firearm whatsoever,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “This incident fortunately did not end in gunfire, but the presence of an automatic firearm rendered the incident dangerous regardless. We will continue our commitment to the prosecution of cases that pose a risk of injury or death to the people of Norfolk.” 

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Victoria T. Vaccaro is prosecuting Mr. Norman’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective Logan A. Luketic led the investigation.

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