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United States Attorney Trent Shores announced that a Federal Grand Jury has indicted 18-year-old Michael W. Newlin of Owasso, and 23-year-old Brandon Mendinghall of Stillwater, for their alleged roles in a December carjacking and obstruction of justice that involved evading and shooting at a Tulsa Police Officer. This indictment is part of the United States Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods national initiative to combat gun violence and violent crime.

The Grand Jury alleged the defendants used a firearm to carjack two victims in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to the indictment, the defendants took away the victims’ cellular phones, stranding the victims on the side of the road. Newlin allegedly fired shots at a police officer in pursuit as the defendants attempted to evade arrest.

All convictions for the charged offenses carry a fine not to exceed $250,000. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged federal crimes, which must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.