Louisiana Man Charged with Vidor Armed Carjacking
BEAUMONT – A New Orleans, Louisiana man has been named in a federal indictment charging him with carjacking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today.
Aubrey Young, 36, was charged with carjacking, possession of a firearm by a felon, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on May 3, 2023. Young appeared before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone today on those charges. Young is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on May 25, 2023.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 26, 2022, law enforcement officers responded to a call regarding a stolen car, taken at gunpoint. The suspect allegedly approached two individuals in Vidor, pulled a gun from his backpack and demanded the keys to their vehicle. The vehicle was spotted near Anahuac and a high-speed chase ensued involving officers from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Young, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was arrested and a firearm was located in the vehicle. Further investigation revealed Young is a convicted felon and prohibited by a federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
If convicted, Young faces up to 22 years in federal prison.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case is being investigated by the Vidor Police Department, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Davilyn Walston
Public Affairs Officer/Law Enforcement Coordinator
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Texas