Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

INDIANAPOLIS –Patrick Owens, 33, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 115 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on April 12, 2019, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officer initiated a traffic stop on Patrick Owens as he was heading northbound on Binford Boulevard in Indianapolis. When asked for a driver’s license, Owens told the officer that he did not have one. The officer asked Owens if there were any weapons in the vehicle and Owens indicated that there were none. Owens then flipped open the center armrest, exposing the bottom of an extended handgun magazine. The officer commanded Owens to remove his hands from the steering wheel, and in response Owens started the car and sped away.

Owns led officers on a high-speed pursuit on I-65 and I-465, where he fishtailed across three lanes and struck an Infinity SUV. Owens continued his flight after the collision, reaching speeds of over 86 miles per hour. He exited I-465 at Keystone Avenue and proceeded onto a construction-filled 96th street. Owens swerved to go through the construction site, but lost control of the vehicle and hit a power pole. Owens then jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot, initially holding the extended handgun magazine from his vehicle before tossing it on the ground as he ran.

IMPD officers caught up with Owens and took him into custody and recovered the extended magazine, which was loaded with 25 live rounds of .40 caliber ammunition. Officers located a loaded semiautomatic handgun in Owens’ car, as well as marijuana, $21,300 in cash, and two additional loaded .40 caliber magazines. Owens is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to his previous felony convictions, including resisting law enforcement, carrying a handgun without a license, and burglary.

Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division made the announcement.

ATF investigated this case with valuable assistance from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The sentenced was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker. As part of the sentence, Judge Barker ordered that Owens be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison. Owens was also ordered to pay $6,778 in restitution to the owner of the Infinity SUV and the insurance company.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted the case.

This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.