Source: United States Department of Justice News
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that William Kennedy Allen, II, 37, from Montgomery, Alabama, received a 23-year prison sentence for carjacking and federal gun crimes. The judge also ordered that Allen serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to Allen’s plea agreement and other court records, on August 9, 2021, an Alabama State Trooper attempted to stop a motorcycle traveling through Chilton County on Interstate 65 with no tag. The motorcycle driver, later found to be Allen, refused to stop and accelerated to speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour. The trooper followed and the pursuit continued as Allen exited the interstate and drove into a Clanton mobile home park. There, Allen abandoned the motorcycle and fled on foot. By this time, other law enforcement officers were assisting in the pursuit. One officer caught up with Allen and took him to the ground. Once on the ground, Allen discharged a shot from a pistol he was holding in his hand. Luckily, the bullet did not strike anyone.
Roughly one month later, on September 10, 2021, agents with the United States Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force were looking for Allen to arrest him pursuant to a state warrant. Agents observed Allen driving in east Montgomery and attempted to block Allen’s car with their vehicles. Allen rammed the law enforcement vehicles and struck at least two other cars before leaving his vehicle behind and running through an assisted living facility located off Taylor Road. Allen then stepped into the middle of Taylor Road and forced a man out of his truck by pointing a gun at him. Once the man was out, Allen sped away in the victim’s vehicle. Next, Allen drove to Tuskegee and stopped at a gas station. There, he approached a man who was getting into his car. Allen grabbed the car door handle and put a gun in the man’s midsection, then Allen drove away in the vehicle. Law enforcement officers responding to the Tuskegee carjacking pursued Allen on Interstate 85. Eventually, Allen crashed the second stolen car and officers then took him into custody.
On September 1, 2022, Allen pleaded guilty to carjacking, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. On March 8, 2023, the judge imposed the 23-year sentence.
“The disregard for the safety of others in this case is disturbing,” stated United States Attorney Stewart. “During just a few weeks, Allen endangered the lives of so many individuals. I am grateful for the combined effort of the local, state, and federal law enforcement officials involved. Together, they apprehended a dangerous person and made multiple communities safer as a result.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Clanton Police Department, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Montgomery Police Department, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Justin L. Jones prosecuted this case.