Montana Felon Sentenced to 3+ Years for Drive-By Shooting, Car Chase

Azuriah Austin Stallcup, 20, a Billings felon, has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for his role in a July 2023 drive-by shooting and high-speed car chase through Billings streets.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Stallcup pleaded guilty in February to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over the case.

On July 6, 2023, Stallcup was a wanted escapee from a Butte pre-release center when he obtained a stolen .40-caliber firearm and repeatedly fired it from his stolen vehicle into a house in Billings. Residential surveillance cameras identified the vehicle and Stallcup. Billings Police Department officers tracked Stallcup the next day to a house and attempted to arrest him as he was leaving in the stolen vehicle.

However, Stallcup rammed one of the police cars, plowed into a nearby civilian vehicle, and fled on foot. Officers chased Stallcup and saw him throw a pistol over a fence. Police officers, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arrested Stallcup after being tackled by the owner of the car he had just hit. Officers recovered a .40-caliber pistol.

Stallcup had been convicted of assault with a weapon, a felony, in Montana District Court and was prohibited from possessing firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich prosecuted the case, with the assistance of the Billings Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Stallcup’s conviction is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. The program was launched in May 2021 and focuses on fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations, and setting strategic enforcement priorities.

The sentence was handed down yesterday, following Stallcup’s guilty plea in February. He will serve three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The case serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of violent crime and the importance of community partnership in preventing such crimes.