INDIANAPOLIS – A brazen drug dealer is off the streets after receiving a 14-year federal prison sentence for trafficking cocaine and marijuana, possessing a firearm while doing so, and being a prohibited person. Carl Young Jr., 41, of Indianapolis, earned the sentence after a February 2022 high-speed chase that left two people fighting for their lives.
According to court documents, the chaos began shortly after midnight when Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers responded to a domestic disturbance on Thaddeus Street. A woman reported her Jeep had been stolen by Young, who then led officers on a reckless pursuit. The chase quickly escalated, with Young hitting nearly 80 miles per hour while fleeing.
The situation turned catastrophic at the intersection of Minnesota St. and State St., where Young blew through a stop sign and slammed into a Buick. The impact was so severe that both the driver and passenger of the Buick were violently ejected from the vehicle. One driver was trapped beneath the wreckage, requiring officers to physically lift the car to provide rescue. The passenger landed several feet away on the sidewalk. Both victims were rushed to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition.
Even after the devastating crash, Young wasn’t done. He attempted to flee again, deliberately backing his stolen vehicle into a police cruiser. Officers quickly surrounded Young’s vehicle and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, Young was found to be under the influence of Phencyclidine (PCP) and had two shotgun shells in his possession. A search of the Jeep revealed a loaded shotgun on the front passenger seat and a backpack containing approximately 26 grams of crack cocaine and six pounds of marijuana.
This wasn’t Young’s first rodeo with the law. He was already prohibited from possessing firearms due to five prior felony convictions, including drug dealing and multiple convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering others. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana didn’t mince words, stating Young showed “utter disregard for human life.”
“This armed drug trafficker severely injured two innocent people,” Myers said in a statement. The case was a joint effort by IMPD, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Young to 14 years, followed by three years of supervised release. The case was part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, aimed at reducing violent crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela S. Domash prosecuted the case.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Press Release
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