Flock Alert Aids Norfolk Police in Man’s Arrest for Eluding Police in Stolen Car, Carrying Concealed Firearm in 2023

NORFOLK, Va. — Carlos Lamont Lawrence Jr., 20, was sentenced on Friday to serve two months in jail for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit after an incident last year in which officers received a Flock alert on a stolen car that Mr. Lawrence was driving and later found a gun inside the vehicle.

Before 2 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2023, Norfolk Police officers received a Flock alert for a stolen silver Toyota Camry being driven near the intersection of North Military Highway and East Princess Anne Road. Officers confirmed the vehicle to have been reported stolen out of Virginia Beach on Sept. 6. Officers initiated a traffic stop on the car at the intersection of North Military Highway and Azalea Garden Road, and the driver, Mr. Lawrence, initially pulled over and turned on the car’s hazard lights. However, as officers asked Mr. Lawrence to exit the car, Mr. Lawrence sped off. Officers pursued Mr. Lawrence, and Mr. Lawrence eventually caused the car to lose a front tire and had to stop after he drove over a curb and into a parking lot at the intersection of East Little Creek Road and Shore Drive. Mr. Lawrence then abandoned the vehicle and continued to flee on foot until officers were able to catch him. When officers searched the vehicle after they arrested Mr. Lawrence, they found a handgun between the driver’s seat and center console.

Mr. Lawerence was set for a trial on April 29, 2024, but instead pleaded guilty to felony eluding and misdemeanor carrying of a concealed weapon. There was no agreement either on the disposition of the charges or on a possible sentence. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise accepted Mr. Lawrence’s plea, deferred her finding, and ordered a presentence report.

On Friday, Judge LeCruise found Mr. Lawrence guilty of the misdemeanor charge and sentenced him to serve two months in jail. Due to his young age and lack of a criminal history, Judge LeCruise took Mr. Lawrence’s guilty plea to the felony charge under advisement for one year, allowing him the opportunity in that time to maintain employment and complete 50 hours of community service to potentially avoid a first-time felony conviction.

“In this case, the judge has offered Mr. Lawrence the opportunity to make amends through a jail sentence while, if he shows he has reformed, he can avoid the serious life consequences of a felony conviction,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Prosecutors and judges make these difficult calls every day to balance public safety with fair dispositions that help people be better. The worst thing that we can do is impose consequences on a person that are so serious that it makes it impossible for them to rejoin society. I hope that Mr. Lawrence makes the most of this second chance.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David A. Johnson prosecuted Mr. Lawrence’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Ryan M. Crowder led the investigation.

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