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A Rocky Mount man was sentenced April 7, 2022 to 52 months in prison for possessing a handgun as a convicted felon, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina. Raekwon Laderek Briggs, 26, pleaded guilty to the charges on November 16, 2021.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Briggs possessed two handguns during a high-speed chase in Edgecombe County. “On March 21, 2019, a deputy pulled Briggs over for an expired registration. Briggs stopped his car and then accelerated when the deputy opened the door to his patrol car,” stated the release. “Several law enforcement officers pursued Briggs. During the chase, Briggs sped through two school zones, ran a stoplight, and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic several times, which forced one car off the road.”

The release stated that Briggs eventually stopped and deputies observed two handguns on the dashboard, both loaded with 28 rounds each.

“After his arrest, Briggs told the deputies that he knew the firearms were in the vehicle,” the release continued. “Briggs also said he would have ended the chase in a shootout if Rocky Mount police officers had been involved in the chase.”

Briggs had previously been convicted of several felonies, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and attempted possession of a firearm as a felon. Accoridng to the release, he was also “validated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety as a member of the Bloods street gang.”

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuted.

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