Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years for Highway Shooting that Injured Two People

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Anil Dabydeen, 41, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing the stolen firearm he used to shoot at vehicles on I-485, injuring two people, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

"We will use federal statutes to charge federal crimes when individuals act recklessly with firearms," said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. "No one driving on the highway should be in fear they are going to be shot by a passerby. My office is diligently working to remove felons illegally possessing handguns from our streets and send them to prison where they cannot harm innocent people."

"Taking violent and dangerous individuals off our streets is a critical effort that ATF is proud to be a part of," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. "We continue to work with our law enforcement partners to apprehend those that pose the biggest threat to our public safety."

"Violent acts like this have no place in our city, and this case shows what can be accomplished when strong partnerships work together to protect the community. Our officers, federal partners, and prosecutors moved quickly and decisively to hold this offender accountable," said Chief of Police Estella D. Patterson. "CMPD remains firmly committed to working with the U.S. Attorney's Office, ATF and all of our public safety partners to address violent crime, remove dangerous individuals from our streets and ensure the safety of everyone who lives, works, and travels in Charlotte."

According to court documents and the court hearing, on January 8, 2025, at 3:49 p.m., officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) were dispatched to I-485 at the South Tryon Street exit after receiving several 911 calls reporting a male operating a white Honda sedan on the highway shooting at passing vehicles. CMPD officers arrived on the scene and located two victims who had been shot. The victims told the officers that they were traveling south on I-485 when their vehicle was struck by gunfire. Both victims were transported to the hospital, and one required surgery because of the injuries sustained. While on the scene, the officers reviewed a video recorded by a witness. The video showed a white sedan stopped on the side of the highway, and an individual, later identified as Dabydeen, walking around the vehicle, brandishing a firearm and pointing it at passing vehicles. Dabydeen had shot the victims' car three times.

While the officers were investigating the incident, they observed a white Honda sedan driving in their direction at a high rate of speed. The vehicle swerved onto the grassy area on the right shoulder of the highway, passing close by the officers. The officers recognized the vehicle as the one observed during the shooting and began to pursue it while the driver fled. Eventually, Dabydeen stopped the vehicle, and he was taken into custody. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded Taurus Model G3c, 9mm pistol affixed with a loaded extended magazine. The firearm had been reported stolen. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Dabydeen has a prior felony conviction for Attempted Murder in New York, and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Dabydeen remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.

The ATF and CMPD led the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.