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by WILL FOLKS
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Prosecutors in the office of U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling are pursuing a federal charge against a South Carolina criminal accused of stealing a weapon and ammunition from an officer of the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) during a violent attack against law enforcement on July 4, 2026.
State charges are also pending against 21-year-old DeJuan Ravenel of Charleston County related to the incident.
According to a criminal complaint (.pdf) filed earlier this week in U.S. district court in Charleston, S.C., Ravenel was observed on body-worn camera footage absconding with a department-issued taser and two firearm magazines taken from NCPD officer Abigail Angelucci – one of the NCPD officers who was physically assaulted during the incident.
Angelucci and her fellow officers were dispatched in response to reports of gunfire at a neighborhood block party in the Chicora-Cherokee community – which is located approximately six-and-a-half miles north-northwest of the Charleston battery.
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As we reported at the time, NCPD officers came under attack shortly after responding to the scene “with two female officers sustaining minor injuries,” according to the agency.
A host of weapons were recovered from the scene, including multiple firearms and a “makeshift spear.”
Six individuals have been charged in connection with the melee – including four juveniles and two adults (19-year-old Giovanni Mekhi Sincere Campbell and 18-year-old Sa’Mya Adriana Collette Weaver). The four juveniles were charged with third degree assault by mob, assaulting law enforcement while resisting arrest, resisting arrest, possession of a machine gun and breach of peace.
Campbell was charged with possession of a machine gun and Weaver was charged with breach of peace and assaulting law enforcement while resisting arrest.
Now, Ravenel has been charged with allegedly stealing Angelucci’s taser and ammunition.
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Body-worn camera footage revealed “a black male wearing a black Nike headband with a white Nike Swoosh emblem, black pants, and a grey shirt approaching the area where Officer Angelucci had fallen, retrieving items from the area, then departing the scene.”
That black male was later positively identified as Ravenel, and a subsequent search of his residence resulted in the missing taser and firearm magazines being discovered “under the mattress in a bedroom.”
By virtue of his February 2026 conviction for grand larceny, Ravenel was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. Court records in Charleston County showed he was on probation for that conviction – while also out on bond for multiple state charges at the time of his latest arrest.
Specifically, Ravenel was facing charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen gun, financial transaction card theft, and receiving stolen goods in connection with an incident in December 2024 and an alleged burglary last September.
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Now he is facing additional charges from the July 4 attack. Beyond the felon in possession charge at the federal level, Ravenel has been charged at the state level with the unlawful taking of a firearm or weapon from a law enforcement officer. In an effort to avoid the Palmetto State’s perpetual “catch and release” policy related to violent offenders, Ravenel was ordered (.pdf) to be detained federally while his charge is pending.
“Federal investigators, assisted by SLED task force officers, immediately assisted with this multi-agency investigation and found the appropriate charge to bring against Ravenel, whose actions as convicted felon were a violation of federal law,” Stirling said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners will resolutely support our local law enforcement in keeping our communities safe.”
Sources close to the U.S. attorney’s office told FITSNews Stirling took a personal interest in this case and instructed his team to work with state and local authorities to ensure justice was served.
If convicted, Ravenel could face up to fifteen (15) years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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