Federal Grand Jury Indicates Man For Carjacking On I-95

A federal grand jury in Wilmington has indicted a Sampson County man for carjacking a motorists on I-95 near Dunn on May 3rd.  Raymond Lee Bryant Jr. of Roseboro was spotted by Selma Police a short time after the carjacking. Joined by state troopers they pursued Bryant into Nash County until the stolen truck eventually ran out of gas.

On Thursday, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announces the indictment against Bryant charging him with carjacking, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the carjacking, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

If convicted of these charges, Bryant would face a statutory minimum of 55 years imprisonment.

On May 3rd, Bryant was involved in a minor wreck. Traffic stopped and Bryant allegedly approached a semi-truck and trailer, forced the driver and passenger out of the truck at gunpoint after firing a round and attempted to drive the truck away. As  Bryant was backing up the truck, it jack-knifed and blocked the northbound lanes of Interstate 95. Bryant exited the truck and attempted to carjack another semi-truck and trailer, however the driver of that truck exited the vehicle as he saw Bryant approach, locked the door and ran.

Bryant then approached a third truck, brandished a firearm and carjacked that truck. Bryant sped northbound and was arrested after a nearly 50 mile chase from Selma to Rocky Mount.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

In support of PSN, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has implemented the Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.   Scene photos by John Payne