Solamon Flores-Garcia, a 43-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for carjacking and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. This announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The case involved cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Rhett Bolen of the Monroe Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making this announcement.
According to court documents and proceedings, on October 24, 2023, Flores-Garcia committed the offenses while residing illegally in Monroe, N.C., after having been previously deported. He approached a neighbor's home armed with a red handgun and demanded her wallet and car keys. Subsequently, he drove to La Chiquita Mexican store where he carried out another robbery by threatening the clerk with the same weapon before fleeing with money from the establishment.
Flores-Garcia was apprehended shortly after these incidents. He remains in custody awaiting transfer to a federal facility designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the FBI and CMPD. The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
