Four teenagers from Kingsport, Tennessee, have now been sentenced in connection with a wild February 2025 chase that began with a stolen pickup truck and ended with gunfire fired at Pennsylvania state troopers along Interstate 81. Two of the four, Christian Guerrero and Braedon Willis, were sentenced to 8 to 16 years in state prison after firing multiple rounds at troopers from the back seat of the truck. Kadence Gooch and Jeremiah Begley, who did not fire weapons during the chase, received far lighter sentences after cooperating with prosecutors or pleading to lesser charges.
The judge overseeing the case, Steve Zawisky, described the chase as the “stuff of movies,” according to PennLive. The saga began on February 19, 2025, when the four teens stole a red pickup truck from an Oklahoma man in Kingsport, Tennessee, according to charging documents cited by PennLive. That truck's owner, per earlier reporting from FOX43 News, was out of town and had no idea his truck had been stolen until police notified him after the chase ended.
A Change of Plans on the Interstate
Before heading north, the four teens had broken into vehicles in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, seeking cash and coming away with just $15, per PennLive’s reporting. The group had originally planned to travel to Florida, but changed course and instead drove toward Connecticut, intending to steal from wealthier residents there, PennLive reports.
Their route took them onto I-81, where a New York woman called police around 12:40 p.m. on February 23, 2025, after seeing one of the teens wave a gun at her while she traveled with her 7- and 3-year-old children near mile marker 57.1 in Cumberland County, according to the same PennLive account. That timeline lines up with earlier reporting from Skook News, which detailed the initial motorist report of occupants pointing a firearm at other vehicles in Silver Spring Township.
Shots Fired at Troopers in West Hanover Township
Pennsylvania State Police spotted and stopped the Toyota around 20 miles north on I-81 in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, but the driver sped away after initially pulling onto the shoulder, per PennLive. When troopers caught up near the 7000 block of Manor Drive, Guerrero and Willis fired multiple rounds at troopers from the back seat, with one bullet striking a trooper’s patrol vehicle. Skook News reported that investigators recovered three shell casings at the scene after the gunfire struck a cruiser’s headlight. The troopers were not injured, and sentencing guidelines were later aggravated because the would-be homicide victim was a state trooper, according to PennLive.
A Disguise-and-Run at the Walmart
The chase stretched from Cumberland County into Schuylkill County before the fleeing truck became disabled near a Walmart in St. Clair Township. Gooch and Willis were arrested at the scene, while Guerrero and Begley slipped away. Surveillance footage reviewed by Skook News showed Guerrero and Begley entering the Walmart, shedding their original clothing, and shoplifting new outfits before escaping through a southeast emergency exit to dodge the police perimeter. FOX43 News reported that Willis was ultimately found hiding inside a nearby pizza restaurant, while Gooch was captured on an adjacent hill.
Guerrero and Begley remained fugitives for four days until U.S. Marshals, Hartford Police, and Pennsylvania State Police tracked them down and arrested them in Hartford, Connecticut, according to Newsradio 1070 WKOK. Both were later extradited back to Pennsylvania to face charges, per PennLive.
Guilty Pleas and Sentences
Guerrero and Willis each pleaded guilty in June to attempted homicide, three counts of receiving stolen property, and carrying a firearm without a license, PennLive reports. Both received credit of a year and some months toward their 8-to-16-year sentences. Willis reportedly expressed regret over the shooting, according to the outlet.
Begley, who did not shoot during the chase and did not cooperate with the investigation, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of receiving stolen property, carrying a firearm without a license, and misdemeanor possession of a firearm by a minor. He was sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison, having possessed a stolen gun during the episode, and received 514 days of jail-time credit along with two years of probation running concurrent with his stolen-property sentences.
Gooch, who drove the stolen truck and had no prior criminal record, cooperated with authorities and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment. She was sentenced to 11.5 to 23 months in prison with 528 days of jail-time credit, meaning she could be immediately paroled, according to PennLive.
Why Charges Landed in Adult Court
Begley, Gooch, Guerrero and Willis were between 17 and 18 at the time of the chase; Begley was 19 and Gooch was 19 by the time of sentencing. Under Pennsylvania law, charges of attempted homicide or criminal homicide brought against juveniles aged 15 and older are automatically excluded from juvenile court jurisdiction and filed directly in adult criminal court, according to a press release from the Judicial Conduct Board. That statute is why the teens, despite their ages at the time, faced sentencing in Common Pleas court rather than through the juvenile system.
Attempted homicide convictions in Pennsylvania carry statutory maximum penalties of up to 20 years in state prison per count, rising to 40 years if the act results in serious bodily injury, according to Goldstein Mehta LLC. Statewide, Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies reported 2,718 motor vehicle pursuits in 2022 alone, with 57 percent ending in arrests and more than 28 percent resulting in crashes or injuries, per data from the Pennsylvania State Police.
PennLive also reports that Guerrero had his mother move from Florida to Pennsylvania to be closer to him following his arrest. It remains unclear from available reporting exactly how the group of teens first obtained the firearms used during the chase before their multi-state drive began.
