Man Who Drove Wrong-Way to Strike Rival Gets 5 Years in Prison

Oct 3

A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to prison after admitting he intentionally struck another man with a vehicle during a confrontation earlier this year.

Carlos Vondale Weems, 36, was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in prison for first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.

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A judge granted a downward durational departure from the sentencing guidelines as part of the plea agreement. Prosecutors cited Weems’ acceptance of responsibility as the reason for the departure. He received 136 days of credit for time already spent in custody. He faced up to 20 years in prison.

The case began on May 6 when Minneapolis police were called to 22nd Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North on a report of a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian. Officers found the victim unconscious in the street, bleeding from the head and seizing. He later required 13 staples for a head wound and was treated for additional injuries.

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Surveillance video showed the victim sitting at the intersection and talking on a phone before Weems and his girlfriend approached. The victim attempted to back away as Weems tried to fight him while the girlfriend recorded. After the confrontation broke up, Weems got into a dark gray Chevrolet Impala and, minutes later, drove the wrong way down Fremont Avenue North. The car swerved directly into the victim’s path, struck him, and carried him on the hood before he was thrown to the pavement near a parking lot.

PREVIOUSLY: Driver Accused of Intentionally Striking Man in North Minneapolis Feud

Police later located the Impala with front-end damage and arrested Weems on May 20. He admitted to investigators that the attack stemmed from an ongoing feud with the victim that had already led to two fights earlier that day.

Court records show Weems entered a guilty plea in late August to attempted first-degree assault under an agreement calling for a 60-month executed prison term. As part of his sentence, Weems must provide a DNA sample, register as a predatory offender, and is barred from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives.

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