POUGHKEEPSIE – Known criminal and Poughkeepsie resident Savon Bagby, 26, was arrested by City of Poughkeepsie police on Friday evening after attempting to flee officers during a traffic stop on South Clinton Street. Bagby, who was in possession of a loaded 9mm Glock semi-automatic that had been stolen in Virginia, was charged with the felonies of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal possession of stolen property.
City police say that officers attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle in the vicinity of 36 South Clinton Street on March 3, 2023, at approximately 6:14 p.m. During the stop, Bagby attempted to run away. As police were chasing him on foot, Bagby threw the handgun away. It was recovered by one of the pursuing officers.
Bagby was arrested after a brief pursuit and transported to police headquarters for processing. He was held pending arraignment.
Bagby is currently on federal probation after receiving a 50-month sentence for his involvement in rival gang activity in Poughkeepsie between 2012 and 2017.
**In 2022, while Bagby was an inmate at the Schuylkill Federal Correctional Institution (SCFCI), he was sentenced to an additional year in prison after being convicted of possessing a weapon in the prison. Bagby was there serving his racketeering conspiracy sentence when he was found to be in possession of two five-inch metal rods sharpened to a point, commonly referred to as “shanks.” Bagby’s sentence was to be served consecutively to his previous conviction.
The rival gangs, “Uptown” and “Downtown” were responsible for at least two murders, including that of basketball standout Caval Haylett, 18, an innocent bystander who was killed at a northside barbeque in 2016.
The rival gangs were involved in gun and drug sales throughout the city in addition to numerous shootings and at least two murders, Haylett and Daquell LeBlanc. LeBlanc, also known as Hamo, was a member of the Downtown gang. He was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest at the age of 16 in the vicinity of Main Street between Academy and North Hamilton streets.
* A previous version of this story indicated that Bagby was 33 years old. His actual age is 26.
** Additional information regarding Mr. Bagby’s behavior in prison was obtained by Mid-Hudson News on Sunday afternoon.
