A 35-year-old Houston man has been ordered to federal prison for carjacking and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Sean Rodriguez was convicted by a federal jury in Houston after a three-day trial.
On September 26, 2018, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal handed Rodriguez an 80-month sentence for the carjacking and an additional 10 years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, which must be served consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The sentences will be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.
During the trial, the jury heard from victims who were carjacked at gunpoint. Both described how Rodriguez brandished a silver revolver and pointed it at them. Rodriguez had pistol-whipped the male victim, at which time the gun discharged above the man’s head.
A neighbor also provided testimony, explaining how she helped the female victim after she ran to her house to call 911. The jury also heard that call.
The jury also heard from four police officers who were involved in a high-speed chase after Rodriguez refused to pull over in the stolen vehicle three days later. The jury saw a helicopter video of the chase and the dash cam of one of the officers. During the chase, Rodriguez went the wrong way down streets at high rates of speed, nearly hit pedestrians and other vehicles before crashing into a family of six.
Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, Houston Police Department, Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, and Harris County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennie Basile and Britni Cooper are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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