Sentencing ahead for violent felon with open warrant and stolen gun who fought SFPD cops during traffic stop after blowing a red light
A violent felon who came to SFPD attention when he ran a stop sign, who turned out to have an open warrant and a handgun, and then fought with cops trying to arrest him, and then given bail, should go to prison for 57 months say federal prosecutors.
Lamu Faataui, 38, had to be dragged out of his car and subdued by police during the November 15 2024 incident. His gun – a stolen 9mm Glock 19 – had a round in the chamber.
He will appear June 4 for sentencing at San Francisco federal courthouse. He earlier pleaded guilty to firearms offenses as a result of the November 15 2024 incident.
His previous San Francisco convictions include attempted murder and gun possession. Ahead of the sentencing hearing his attorney boldly argued that Faataui’s attempted murder conviction – in which he shot a man four times hours after shooting into an occupied car – was not a crime of violence and so could not be used as a basis for a longer sentence. He should remain out of prison and be enrolled in a “convictions alternative program” instead.
Two months after his arrest he was taken into federal custody and charged in U.S. District Court. He was promptly granted bail and released.
“The nature and circumstances of the offense…demonstrate that the defendant’s propensity toward physical violence and disregard for lawful authority have not abated with age,” wrote assistant U.S. attorney Elizabeth Wilson in a sentencing memorandum.
“While driving, the defendant was carrying on his person a loaded firearm with one round of ammunition already in the chamber, demonstrating a troubling degree of readiness to use the firearm and engage in physical violence.”
“Rather than comply with a lawful police order to step out of his car because he had an outstanding arrest warrant for burglary…the defendant physically struggled with police and resisted being taken into custody for several minutes; the force of multiple officers was required to overpower him and place him in handcuffs.”
Attorneys for Faataui say he is a suitable candidate for a federal diversion program and that he has stayed crime-free since April 2025, when he failed a drug test. He should stay out of prison, they say.
Faataui will appear Thursday before U.S. District Judge Rita Lin for sentencing at San Francisco federal courthouse.
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