State Police Conduct Manhunt For Ryan Banton For Involvement In Shooting State Trooper In Hyannis, Has Recent Gun And Drug Charges
Last night in Hyannis Massachusetts State Trooper John Lennon was shot in the hand and in the chest during a routine traffic stop. Remarkably the wounds were not life threatening, as first reported by Hyannis News.
The State Police have not announced the name of the suspect, but police sources tell TB Daily News that they are looking for Ryan Ricardo Banton, a 24 year old man from Hyannis.
In 2018 Benton was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded firearm, defacing a serial number on a firearm, possession of a firearm without FID card, possession of ammunition without FID card, firearm violation with 3 prior violent/drug crimes, possession carrying a firearm, and failure to wear a seatbelt. He and a 56 year old Nantucket man driving were pulled over after crossing yellow lines, acted suspiciously, and state police discovered a gun hidden behind the driver’s seat which Banton put there.
All of Banton’s previous charges were for drug dealing.
On the charge of a firearm violation with 3 previous violent/drug crimes, all of Banton’s criminal incidents were separate convictions out of Barnstable District Court. One conviction was for possession to distribute a class D substance, another conviction was for possession to distribute a class B substance (subsequent offense), and there were also 2018 convictions for possession to distribute a class A substance and possession to distribute a class B substance.
Banton claimed at the time that it wasn’t his gun, but the driver claimed it was, and all evidence pointed towards him. The gun was loaded.
Trooper Alldredge looked in the area where the passenger appeared to have been reaching earlier and observed “a bulge” in a pocket behind the driver’s seat. A closer look revealed a gold colored handgun with the barrel pointing down and with the butt of the magazine facing toward the passenger… and within arm’s reach of the passenger.
The hidden firearm turned out to be a loaded .380 caliber handgun, the magazine containing a total of six rounds…
He was indicted by a grand jury in May 2019.
Earlier in 2018 he was arrested during a fentanyl raid and featured on the Yarmouth Police Facebook page just two months before Officer Sean Gannon was murdered by another felon.
DRUG DEALERS ARRESTED BY YPD AND BPD
On Friday, February 9th, 2018, at approximately 3:40PM, based on an investigation…
Posted by Yarmouth Police Dept. on Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Despite this long and documented history of drug dealing and gun possession, Banton remained free. In September 2019 he was arrested again in Truro and charged with operating negligently to endanger, failure to stop for police, driving a suspended license, and on outstanding warrants.
Yet just like the animal with 125 felony charges who assassinated Sean Gannon, Benton remained free last night and the State Police are now looking for him as a result of his involvement in shooting a State Trooper. The manhunt for Benton continues at this moment and we will keep you updated with any further information.
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