Newlin, Mendinghall Indicted in Tulsa Carjacking, Cop Shooting

Two Oklahoma men are staring down federal prison time after a Grand Jury indictment tied them to a violent December carjacking that escalated into a high-speed chase, gunfire directed at a Tulsa police officer, and a brutal plot to silence a witness. Michael W. Newlin, 18, of Owasso, and Brandon Mendinghall, 23, of Stillwater, were formally charged with a cascade of federal offenses, including discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and obstruction of justice through witness intimidation and attempted murder.

The indictment, unsealed today by United States Attorney Trent Shores, paints a harrowing picture: Newlin and Mendinghall allegedly used a firearm to seize a vehicle from two victims in Tulsa, stripping them of their cell phones and abandoning them roadside. What followed was pure chaos—Newlin allegedly opened fire on a pursuing officer, bullets flying as law enforcement scrambled to respond to the brazen attack. The act of shooting at a sworn officer instantly escalated the crime from state to federal terrorism-level charges.

Charges pile up like spent shell casings. Count 1: Conspiracy to Carry, Brandish and Use a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence—up to 20 years. Count 2: Carjacking—up to 15 years. But the real gut punch comes with Counts 3, 5, and 8: each carrying mandatory minimums of 7 to 25 years, up to life, to be served consecutively. In total, if convicted on all counts, these two could spend the rest of their lives behind bars, with fines not to exceed $250,000 across all counts.

But the violence didn’t end with the carjacking. The Grand Jury alleges a cold-blooded effort to cover their tracks. Count 4 accuses them of Obstruction of Justice by Threatening Physical Force Against a Witness—up to 20 years. Count 6: Conspiracy to Obstruct an Officer by Killing a Witness—up to 30 years. Count 7: Obstruction of Justice by Attempting to Kill a Witness—another 30-year max. This wasn’t just a robbery gone wrong. This was a calculated campaign of fear and retaliation.

“If you commit a federal crime and then shoot at a police officer, you can expect to meet a federal prosecutor in the courtroom,” Shores said bluntly. “We will aggressively pursue violent criminals in our district, especially those who would further imperil the lives of the men and women sworn to protect our community.” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan M. Roberts and Christopher J. Nassar will lead the prosecution, backed by the full weight of the FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.

The case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the DOJ’s nationwide crackdown on gun violence through coordinated federal, state, and local action. With the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office working hand-in-hand with federal prosecutors, this case exemplifies the fusion of resources aimed at dismantling violent crime at the street level. For Newlin and Mendinghall, the streets have delivered their verdict: a one-way ticket to a federal indictment with no bail in sight.