Raymond Bowie, Illegal AR-15 Possession, Indianapolis IN, 2022

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A brazen high-speed chase ended with 21-year-old Raymond Bowie of Indianapolis trading gunfire threats and fleeing on foot, all while clutching a fully automatic AR-15 style rifle. The incident, stemming from a tense scene at a recent homicide victim’s funeral, culminated in a six-year federal prison sentence, announced Wednesday.

According to court documents, officers were already on high alert at the September 4, 2021, funeral, aware of potential retaliatory violence brewing between rival groups. They spotted Bowie, a known fugitive with an outstanding warrant, entering a vehicle alongside the driver, who was also wanted by police. When officers attempted a traffic stop near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, the driver floored it, initiating a pursuit that quickly exceeded 100 miles per hour. The chase was terminated due to the dangerous speeds.

The vehicle didn’t stay wrecked for long. Moments later, police located the crashed car on I-465 northbound near the I-65 on-ramp. As officers approached, Bowie and another passenger bolted, Bowie recklessly swinging the loaded AR-15 – equipped with an extended magazine and containing 30 rounds – as he ran. He eventually discarded the weapon and surrendered after suffering injuries in the crash.

This wasn’t Bowie’s first dance with the law. The 21-year-old already had three prior felony convictions for armed robbery and a previous conviction for dangerous firearm possession. He was on probation at the time of the September 4th incident, a clear violation of his terms. Federal law prohibits Bowie from possessing any firearms due to his extensive criminal history.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Columbus Field Division, jointly announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by the ATF in conjunction with the Indiana Crime Gun Task Force (ICGTF), a multi-agency partnership tackling gun violence across central Indiana. U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon handed down the six-year sentence, also ordering three years of supervised release following Bowie’s imprisonment.

This case falls under both the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate prosecuted the case, ensuring that a dangerous felon and his illegal weapon are off the streets of Indianapolis. The ICGTF continues to focus on identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in violent crime and illegal firearm possession throughout the region.

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