INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 21-year-old Indianapolis man was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm following a high-speed chase, according to a press release.
On Sept. 6, 2021, police recognized the face of a fugitive in attendance at the funeral of a homicide victim. The fugitive was armed with an outstanding warrant. Several others were also armed in attendance at the funeral, which made officers aware of the various threats of violence and possible retaliation that could be made by associates and family members of the deceased, according to court documents.
Police saw the fugitive leaving the funeral and getting into a car with three people, including Raymond Bowie, 21. Police attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle near the 3700 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where the fugitive refused to stop and led police on a high-speed chase. Police had to stop the pursuit based on excess speed.
Officers searched the area of the chase and found the fugitive’s vehicle crashed on I-465 northbound near the I-65 ramp. When police approached the crash, they saw Bowie and another passenger fleeing from the scene on foot. Police say they took the firearm, which was a fully converted fully automatic AR-15 style rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition.
As Bowie was running away, police say he threw a rifle that he was carrying. He eventually dropped to the ground due to his injuries from the crash and was taken into custody by police.
Bowie has three prior felony convictions for armed robbery and was also convicted of a dangerous fire arm possession. He had also violated his probation prior for illegally possessing a firearm while being a felon.