Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Carjacker Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison
An armed carjacker who led police on a wild chase across Northeast Dallas was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
Austin David Reed, 27, pleaded guilty in September to carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to plea papers, Mr. Reed admitted that while armed with a pistol, he used force and violence to steal a 2006 Acura in February 2019.
Law enforcement encountered Mr. Reed, who was wearing a bullet proof vest, at a hotel room in Dallas after receiving about a domestic disturbance.
According to an indictment, Mr. Reed stated he was “not going down like this,” and fled the scene, running through a wooded area and into a nearby neighborhood, where he carjacked the Acura.
He then led police on a high-speed chase, crashing the car through a neighborhood gate in an attempt to reach the road. After wrecking the Acura on a light pole, Mr. Reed exited the vehicle and ran into a nearby home. Inside, he brandished a knife and demanded car keys. When one of the home’s occupants confronted Mr. Reed with a firearm, he fled through the garage.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge Samuel A. Lindsay handed down the sentence.
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