Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm Following Arrest on Outstanding Warrants

INDIANAPOLIS – Lamont King, 22, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on April 11, 2021, law enforcement officers saw King exit from a residential apartment building. King was under surveillance because he was a suspect in a March 30, 2021, armed robbery and had two outstanding arrest warrants stemming from other charges. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (IMPD SWAT) was in the vicinity because King was known to carry a firearm on his person.

IMPD SWAT approached King to arrest him and commanded him to stop. King was at the driver’s side door of a vehicle when he saw the officers approach. King moved towards the rear bumper and removed a pistol from his waistband dropping it on the ground. King was taken into police custody.

Police recovered the loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol and located a plastic baggie containing 21 pills of 30 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride in King’s pants pocket. King was transported to the Marion County Jail. Following an interview with law enforcement officers, a single 30 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride pill was located on the floor underneath where King had been sitting.

King’s outstanding warrants were for failure to appear. King failed to appear in court for a probation violation related to a 2018, armed robbery felony conviction, and failed to appear related to a 2020 arrest for drug possession and drunk driving offenses. King is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to his 2018 felony conviction.   

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office; and Police Chief Randal Taylor of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD); made the announcement.

FBI investigated the case in conjunction with IMPD. Sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that King be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence D. Hilton who prosecuted this 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.