Lafayette, La. — A local felon slammed into a clothesline pole while trying to outrun cops, only to be caught with a stolen pistol and live rounds nearby. Karlon Woods Jr., 22, of Lafayette, La., pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of felon in possession of a firearm, a charge carrying up to 10 years behind bars, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
The chase went down on October 20, 2016, when Lafayette Police spotted Woods walking Simcoe Street with a red and black backpack. Officers approached. Woods bolted. He didn’t get far. Mid-sprint, he collided with a clothesline pole, collapsing on the scene. While paramedics checked his injuries, officers ran his name — active warrant confirmed.
That’s when the evidence started piling up. The same red and black backpack seen on Woods was found in a nearby yard. Inside: .40 caliber ammunition. A few feet from the bag, cops recovered a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol — later traced as stolen just six days earlier, on October 14, 2016, in Lafayette Parish. Woods, already a convicted felon from a second-degree battery conviction on January 14, 2016, had no legal right to touch a firearm, let alone ditch one mid-flight.
Woods admitted in court he knew he wasn’t allowed to possess a gun. But the circumstances scream recklessness — fleeing, crashing, leaving behind a loaded weapon in a residential area. The incident underscores the raw danger of armed felons moving freely through city streets, especially in high-crime zones like Simcoe.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the DOJ’s hardline initiative to crush violent crime by pooling federal, state, and local law enforcement. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated the program in October 2017, demanding U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide craft aggressive strategies to target repeat offenders and illegal gun carriers.
The investigation was led by ATF and the Lafayette Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy handled the prosecution. Sentencing for Karlon Woods Jr. is pending, but the message is clear: in Lafayette, running won’t save you — especially when you’re armed and already on the feds’ radar.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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