Brandon Lee, a 35-year-old Indianapolis resident, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison with an additional three years of supervised release. A federal jury found Lee guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in July 2024.
Court documents reveal that on April 26, 2023, Lee stole a 2014 gray Honda Accord parked near a food truck while its owner was ordering food. He drove the vehicle to Cumberland, Indiana. Officers from the Cumberland Police Department discovered the stolen car at an apartment complex around 10:55 pm and approached Lee, who was standing nearby. Upon seeing the officers, Lee fired a shot into the air from a semiautomatic pistol and fled on foot.
After a brief pursuit through a neighborhood, Lee attempted to scale a wooden fence but was apprehended. The keys to the stolen vehicle were found in his pocket during his arrest. The following day, officers located Lee's gun in the bed of a pickup truck parked at the same complex. DNA analysis linked him to the firearm.
Lee has been prohibited from legally possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions dating back to 2010 for offenses including illegal possession of firearms, theft and battery, and resisting law enforcement.
"This defendant’s reckless use of a firearm endangered officers and innocent bystanders in their own backyards," stated John E. Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "I hope this sentence will bring comfort to our citizens and those impacted knowing that Mr. Lee is behind bars and not free to terrorize others."
Herbert J. Stapleton, FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge, remarked: "This sentence underscores the serious consequences for those who engage in violent and dangerous behavior that puts the community at risk."
The investigation involved collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), and Cumberland Police Department. U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt imposed the sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress expressed gratitude towards Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Massa and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate for prosecuting this case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.