Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison After Fleeing Police at 80 Miles per Hour High on PCP and Seriously Injuring Two People
INDIANAPOLIS – Carl Young Jr., 41, of Indianapolis was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to cocaine and marijuana trafficking charges, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on February 16, 2022, just after midnight, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers were dispatched to Thaddeus Street in Indianapolis, Indiana in response to a domestic disturbance. Upon their arrival, a woman reported that Young had stolen her Jeep and pointed officers to the vehicle in a nearby alley. Young fled from the approaching officers at a high speed. Young ran a stop sign at the intersection of Minnesota St. and State St., striking a Buick at nearly 80 miles per hour. Both the driver and passenger of the Buick were ejected from the vehicle. The driver was trapped under the vehicle, but officers were able to lift the vehicle to free the driver. The passenger was ejected from the vehicle onto the sidewalk several feet away. Both victims were transported to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition.
Young attempted to flee the scene again after the crash, and purposefully backed into a police vehicle. Officers surrounded Young’s vehicle with police vehicles, removed him from the driver’s seat, and placed him under arrest. Young was under the influence of Phencyclidine (PCP) and had two shotgun shells on her person at the time of his arrest. IMPD officers recovered a loaded shotgun from the front passenger seat of the stolen vehicle, and a backpack containing approximately 26 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 6 pounds of marijuana. In his guilty plea, Young admitted he intended to distribute the illegal drugs.
At the time of his arrest, Young was prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because he had five prior felony convictions, including convictions for dealing illegal drugs and multiple convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, and IMPD Chief Randal Taylor made the announcement.
“This armed drug trafficker severely injured two innocent people as he sped away from police with utter disregard for human life,” said U.S. Attorney Myers “I commend the outstanding first responders who undoubtably saved lives at the scene of the crash and protected the public by arresting a dangerous criminal. The serious sentence imposed today will protect the public from further crimes by Mr. Young, and demonstrates that our office will work closely with our local and federal partners to make our communities safer.”
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and ATF investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash who prosecuted this case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.