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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe nation’s highest court has upheld an Indianapolis federal judge’s ruling, finding that someone who flees from police in a vehicle is committing a “crime of violence” that justifies a longer sentence.
The Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday in Marcus Sykes v. United States, No. 09-11311, ruling 6-3 that vehicular fleeing warrants an enhanced criminal sentence for habitual offenders under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act.
Indianapolis attorney Bill Marsh represented Marcus Sykes, who argued in court that vehicular flight shouldn’t be considered a “violent felony” under state law as it applies to the ACCA.
This decision upholds a ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which last year affirmed a judgment by U.S. Judge Larry McKinney in the Southern District of Indiana.
This story will be updated.
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