Tampa felon who led police on chase through city sentenced to over 6 years
Lowman was arrested after attempting to evade police in 2022.
TAMPA, Fla. - After being chased by Tampa police through the city, Shawn Lanier Lowman, Jr. was arrested a year ago and will now be facing six years and six months behind bars.
U.S. District Judge William F. Jung sentenced 23-year-old Shawn Lanier Lowman, Jr. to over six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Lowman pleaded guilty on March 23, 2023.
Court documents revealed that Lowman was a passenger in a black sedan that fled after Tampa Police Department (TPD) officers tried to conduct a traffic stop around 11 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2022. The police chased the car through the Old Seminole Heights and Sulphur Springs neighborhoods in Tampa.
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Officials say the chase continued on foot after Lowman ran into a residential neighborhood. TPD used a helicopter to track Lowman down by using a Forward Looking InfraRed ("FLIR") camera.
Police say Lowman ran into a shed in one of the backyards in the neighborhood. The camera detected his thermal signature in the shed.
TPD says they surround the shed and arrested Lowman. They found 10.9 grams of bagged cocaine from the shed.
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After retracing Lowman's path, officers say they found a backpack containing two loaded firearms. The firearms included a Glock 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson Model 659 9mm pistol which was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, with one in the chamber.
Officials found fingerprints on both pistols. The backpack also contained a digital scale, an extended magazine (black Pro Mag-brand, with 11 rounds), and a black ski mask according to investigators.
Police say during an interview, Lowman admitted that the fingerprints and firearms were his.
TPD says that at the time of the incident Lowman had previous felonies for armed carjacking with a deadly weapon and armed burglary. Convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) which brings all levels of law enforcement together to reduce violent crime and gun violence according to TPD.
The case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.