Lynchburg man in custody for firearm charges after two years evading police

A Lynchburg man was taken into federal custody this week after being implicated in a series of incidents involving the illegal possession of a firearm.

Brandon Cole Webber, 27, was charged with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on May 5, 2022, law enforcement officers were flagged down by a citizen on Fifth Street in Lynchburg after they reported seeing Webber fall out of a moving vehicle then shoot a firearm in the direction of the same departing vehicle. Two other individuals driving past the incident witnessed Webber fall out of the vehicle. Webber asked the witnesses for a ride and attempted to enter their vehicle as law enforcement arrived on scene. Police officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded 9 mm handgun, a white bag containing suspected methamphetamine and a wallet belonging to an unidentified individual.

In addition to the May 2022 incident, court documents linked Webber to several other incidents.

On Nov. 29, 2023, members of the Lynchburg Fire Department responded to an overdose at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel. First responders observed Webber lying face down on the bathroom floor of a room. Firefighters observed needles and a glass pipe in the room.

When Lynchburg Police arrived, Webber fled the scene running from officers before being apprehended outside of the hotel. Later in the evening, officers searched the room and allegedly recovered a bag containing suspected methamphetamine and a loaded Glock 38 handgun.

On Nov. 30, 2023, Webber was charged with violating various state firearm statues.

However, after receiving treatment for his overdose at a local hospital, law enforcement was unable to locate Webber.

Law enforcement believes Webber fled Lynchburg with the help of a former community corrections and pretrial services agency officer. Webber and the officer allegedly began a romantic relationship in August 2023, and the officer had been providing Webber with non-public sensitive information including search warrants related to the incident at the Lynchburg Grand Hotel.