Career Offender Who Led Authorities on a High-Speed Chase on I-95 Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

RALEIGH, N.C. –A Wilson-based United Blood Nation gang member was sentenced to 420 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release. Nazeer Vick, 32, was convicted by a Federal jury in April on gun and drug trafficking charges.

“Vick is a career criminal who led police on a high-speed chase exceeding 130 miles per hour on a busy interstate for nearly 26 miles,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “He endangered the lives of law enforcement and other drivers in his efforts to elude capture and continue his criminal activity. Now, he will spend the next 35 years in a federal prison.”

“I would first like to thank all of the deputies and other law enforcement that were involved in removing this career criminal from our streets,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “Not only did he put lives in danger, he showed no regard for his actions. I would also like to thank the hard work and success of the United States Attorney’s Office in prosecuting this case. It takes teamwork like this to remove gangs, guns, and drugs from our community.”

“The State of North Carolina and the City of Wilson are safer places to live today because of this arrest and conviction,” said Wilson Police Chief Scott Biddle.  “This case highlights the importance of our partnership with and the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to making our city and streets safer by eliminating threats to public safety like Mr. Vick and other known gang members.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nazeer Vick, 32, was found in possession of a firearm and marijuana during a traffic stop in Wilson after a K9 unit detected the odor of marijuana.  Vick was arrested but quickly bonded out of custody.  Nearly six months later, on October 7, 2020, Nash County deputies encountered a car being driven by Vick that was driving erratically on Interstate 95, weaving in and out of traffic and reaching speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour.  Vick fled from Nash County, into Wilson County and then into Johnston County where he crashed on I-95 after colliding with a transfer truck.  Vick then crawled out of a window of the mangled car with a black bookbag and fled on foot to a nearby motel. Vick was captured by hotel security cameras running around the hotel attempting to open hotel room doors.  He threw the bookbag into a trashcan and then hid in an electrical closet where he was later found by law enforcement.  Officers recovered the discarded bookbag which contained cocaine, cocaine base, marijuana, various pills, a digital scale, a loaded firearm, and documents associated with Vick.  Vick is a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang and has a lengthy criminal history including voluntary manslaughter, selling heroin, possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin, and possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Wilson Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Foxx and Robert Dodson prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00485-D.

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