A Seattle man, Louis Montel De’Andre Dowers, 32, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for carjacking and using a firearm during a violent crime. The sentencing took place in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Dowers was arrested on June 9, 2024, shortly after he carjacked a BMW outside the Seattle Team Shop on Occidental Avenue South in Pioneer Square.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun described the incident as “terrifying crimes” during the sentencing hearing.
“Using a ‘ghost gun’ to threaten the driver and almost running down a second victim, is why carjacking has received substantial federal attention,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. “In 2024, the Department of Justice created eleven Carjacking Task Forces in districts around the United States, including here in the Western District of Washington. This increased focus on federal prosecutions of armed carjacking offenses has coincided with a substantial reduction in these types of crimes.”
According to court documents, Dowers approached a man who was waiting for his wife inside their vehicle and threatened him with what authorities later identified as a privately manufactured firearm known as a “ghost gun.” After ordering the victim out by saying “It’s mine now. Get out,” Dowers drove away after allowing the man to retrieve his dog from the vehicle. As he fled, he nearly struck the victim’s wife who had just exited a nearby store.
Law enforcement tracked the stolen vehicle to Auburn, Washington near a middle school. With help from witness descriptions, King County Sheriff’s deputies located Dowers walking close by and found him carrying a loaded semi-automatic ghost gun.
Dowers pleaded guilty in April 2025. Judge Chun set an October 27, 2025 hearing to determine restitution owed to victims.
In statements submitted to the court, the victims said they “still live” with this “moment of terror . . . every single day.” They described ongoing trauma resulting from losing their sense of peace due to Dowers’ actions.
The investigation involved members of a federal task force that includes personnel from local police departments as well as federal agencies such as ATF and FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg is prosecuting the case and leads the Western District of Washington Carjacking Task Force.
