RALEIGH, N.C. — Cedrick Tyler Armstrong, 36, of Zebulon, NC, was convicted yesterday in federal court on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon — the culmination of a violent 2018 confrontation that began with a routine traffic stop and spiraled into a multi-county pursuit, a shooting at law enforcement, and a sprawling manhunt.
On October 12, 2018, a Wendell Police Department investigator initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle carrying two men. Armstrong was the front seat passenger. When a baggie pulled from the glove compartment field-tested positive for cocaine, officers moved to remove both occupants. A physical struggle erupted. As the driver was being cuffed, the vehicle accelerated, dragging the investigator approximately 25 feet before he broke free. The officer, injured but mobile, joined other responding units in pursuit.
What followed was a high-speed chase across multiple jurisdictions, with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Roughly nine shots were fired from the passenger side of the fleeing vehicle — directly at the lead pursuit unit. Shell casings recovered at the scene were later matched to a 9mm handgun found in a toilet reservoir at a Raleigh residence. The chase was terminated due to extreme danger to officers and the public.
Hours after the shooting, Armstrong and the driver were apprehended at a residence on Beauty Avenue in Raleigh. Inside, investigators recovered the 9mm handgun with an extended magazine, a handcuff key, the missing vehicle keys, and illicit drugs. Forensic analysis confirmed the gun had discharged the casing found at the shooting scene. A search of the recovered vehicle turned up another matching 9mm round.
Crucially, a forensic review of Armstrong’s phone uncovered text messages in which he admitted to firing at police during the chase. Despite attempts to evade capture, digital evidence, ballistics, and physical recovery of the weapon sealed his fate. Armstrong now faces a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. The driver is being prosecuted separately on state charges.
The case was investigated by the Wendell Police Department, with support from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, Raleigh Police, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and Zebulon Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dave Fitzgerald and Bryan Stephany led the prosecution. Acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, announced the conviction following a two-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge James C. Dever, III. Court records are available in Case No. 5:19-CR-00450-D via the Eastern District of North Carolina or PACER.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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