Felon and Drug User Who Threatened Bar Patrons With a Gun Sent to Federal Prison

A Sioux City man who threatened two women by pointing a loaded gun at them, thereby alarming other pub patrons, was sentenced today to more than 4 years in federal prison.

Luis Gomez, age 37, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 1, 2022, change of plea hearing.

Evidence in the case revealed Gomez was a drug user and felon in unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition on December 9, 2021. Gomez’s criminal possession of a firearm was discovered when he threatened two patrons at a Sioux City, Iowa bar by pointing a loaded gun at them, threatening to shoot them, and saying, among other things, "I'm going to air this place out." When the police were called, Gomez and another person, fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

While driving, Gomez repeatedly instructed the passenger to throw the weapon out of the window. Officers observed an object thrown out of the passenger side window during the chase. Officers deployed stop sticks which ultimately ended the pursuit. A firearm and a magazine were separately recovered from the path of the chase. The firearm contained 7 live rounds. Marijuana and other ammunition were also found in the car and/or on Gomez.

Gomez has a lengthy criminal history.   He has committed over 34 offenses.  His crimes include threats, weapons, drugs, violence, and other dangerous conduct.

Gomez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 49 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Gomez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-04012.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.