ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – Two individuals from Shiprock have been sentenced for their roles in a violent carjacking and high-speed police chase that occurred on the Navajo Nation in 2022.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on the afternoon of May 9, 2022, Jane Doe was driving on the Navajo Nation in the area of Nenahnezad, NM. As Jane Doe approached the area, Lindsey Yazzie, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, threw a large rock at her windshield, forcing her to stop. Brandon Barber, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, then attacked the vehicle with a machete and hatchet, shattering windows. Yazzie attempted to pull Jane Doe out of the vehicle by her hair, and Barber then held the sharp edge of a machete against the back of Doe's head. Barber then tried to strike Jane Doe with a hatchet.
After forcibly removing Jane Doe from her Jeep, Yazzie and Barber fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, nearly hitting Doe as they drove away. They led Navajo Nation police on a high-speed chase before abandoning the vehicle. Yazzie was found hiding nearby, while Barber was apprehended later.
Yazzie was sentenced to 46 months in prison and Barber was sentenced to 90 months in prison. Upon their release, both Barber and Yazzie will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.
