KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knox County District Attorney's Office said a felon will serve 20 years without the possibility of parole after he stole a car and resisted arrest with a loaded handgun in his waistband.
37-year-old Lewis Sonny Thompson pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting arrest, burglary of a vehicle, two counts of theft and two counts of simple possession, the DA's Office said.
On Nov. 15, 2020, Thompson stole a Lexus in a parking garage on Depot Street after he found the car's keys in an unlocked car in the same parking garage, according to the DA's Office.
In 2021, the Knoxville Police Department responded to a single-vehicle wreck where Thompson was the driver. When officers ran a records check on him, they saw he had outstanding warrants for the theft, the DA's Office said.
When KPD officers began to take Thompson into custody, he resisted arrest. When he was handcuffed, officers discovered a loaded Glock handgun in his waistband, according to the DA's Office.
Thompson had six prior felony convictions out of Knox and Hamilton Counties for robbery, drug dealing, theft and evading arrest offenses, the DA's Office said.
“Violent convicted felons who carry guns can expect to receive lengthy prison sentences,” DA Charme Allen said.