WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Winston-Salem man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to two firearm charges Monday.
Amari Jaquez Hairston, 21, pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, to two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to the US Department of Justice.
In addition to prison time, Hairston was ordered to forfeit two Glock handguns and two machine gun conversion devices. extended magazines and multiple rounds of ammunition.
Court documents revealed that the charges against Hairston relate to two separate incidents.
On July 15, 2022, Winston-Salem police were searching for a suspect in a gang-related shooting attempting to stop a black Honda carrying four people.
The driver left the scene, driving at an extremely high rate of speed on Silas Creek Parkway and weaving in and out of traffic.
During the chase, officers saw Hairston, who was a passenger in the back seat, throw drugs and guns from the left rear passenger window.
Winston-Salem police and Forsyth Co. deputies stopped and found the items Hairston threw out the car while others continued the pursuit. The Honda was intentionally bumped by an FCSO deputy on Reynolda Road and wrecked.
On Oct. 11, 2023, officers tried to conduct a traffic stop on a blue Dodge Charger speeding on Polo Road. The driver tried to evade the police car, crossed the double yellow line, and collided with a tractor-trailer heading west on Akron Drive. After the wreck, the driver was later identified as Hairston.
The Dodge Charger he was driving was stolen from Charlotte on Sept. 3, 2023. At the time of the theft, the car had three firearms, none of which had been recovered.
While searching for the stolen Dodge Charger, officers found Hairston's NC ID, a Glock handgun, a Machine Gun Conversion Device or "switch", approximately 50 grams of marijuana packaged in bags, a scale, 15 pills, and several pill fragments containing fentanyl, and other controlled substances.
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