Oklahoma Man Convicted of Illegal Firearms Possession after Fleeing from Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper

OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted THOMAS LAMAR BROWN, 46, of Oklahoma City, of illegal possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On March 5, 2024, a federal grand jury charged Brown with being a felon in possession of firearms. On August 14, 2024, a federal jury convicted Brown on the charge. According to trial testimony, on April 15, 2023, a trooper with Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) stopped Brown for a traffic violation on Interstate 40. The trooper spotted a sheathed knife in the passenger seat then asked Brown, the driver, to exit the vehicle. Brown began to act erratically, and the trooper noticed a firearm holster on Brown’s hip. After the trooper drew his service pistol, Brown fled on foot.

Brown was arrested following a brief chase. Inside his vehicle, OHP located four firearms, 29 loaded magazines, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Public record shows Brown has multiple previous felony convictions, including three counts of infliction of corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant in cases filed in California State Court.

At sentencing, Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and up to life under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

This conviction is the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Travis Leverett and Danielle London are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001. This case is also part of “Operation 922,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, which prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.