A Tulsa gas station clerk's call to 911 about two unconscious people slumped in a car parked at the pumps set off a chain of events Tuesday that ended with a convicted felon in handcuffs and a loaded handgun still resting on his lap. Police say the man, 31, and a 31-year-old woman driving the vehicle were both taken into custody without incident once officers surrounded the car.
According to the Tulsa Police Department, the clerk reported two people passed out inside a car in front of a gas pump on Tuesday. Officers arriving on scene set up a containment area around the vehicle, and the pair woke up as police surrounded the car. The passenger was found with a handgun on his lap, his finger resting near the trigger, according to police.
Driver Told Officers She Had Smoked Fentanyl
The driver told officers she had smoked fentanyl and was struggling to remember what had happened before officers arrived, police said. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, and as of publication, no official charges had been filed against her.
The 31-year-old passenger was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony, according to police. He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail. Fox23 is not releasing the suspect's name or mugshot.
What Oklahoma Law Says About Felons and Firearms
Under Oklahoma Statute Title 21, Section 1283, a convicted felon is barred from possessing or having under their immediate control any firearm — a prohibition that extends to riding as a passenger in someone else's car, a point that squarely applies to the gun found on the man's lap. A conviction under that statute carries a sentence of one to 10 years in state prison, as Hoodline has previously reported.
The 31-year-old is barred from owning firearms because of a prior felony conviction, according to police. Under state law, only a full pardon from the governor can restore that right; an expungement alone does not do it, per 21 O.S. § 1283(B).
Federal Prosecution a Possibility in Tulsa Cases
It remains unclear whether the case will stay in state court or be picked up by federal prosecutors. Federal authorities in the Northern District of Oklahoma have frequently pursued charges against Tulsa felons found with firearms, and a federal conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) carries a statutory maximum of up to 15 years with no parole, far steeper than the state penalty. Hoodline reported on a similar dynamic this month in the case of an Oklahoma City man who was sentenced to six years for illegal gun possession after fleeing police on a motorcycle.
The driver's account of smoking fentanyl before losing track of events fits a broader pattern seen across Oklahoma. Fentanyl was involved in 86% of all opioid-related overdose deaths recorded in the state in 2024, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, even as fentanyl deaths statewide fell 34% from 730 in 2023 to 487 in 2024. Tulsa County itself recorded a drug-involved overdose death rate of 31.1 per 100,000 residents in 2024, among the highest in the state, per USAFacts.
What specific prior felony led to the passenger's firearm ban, and whether the driver will ultimately face charges once her hospital evaluation is complete, remain open questions. Tulsa has seen a string of similar cases this year, including a federal drug and firearm raid that ended in a 30-year prison sentence and an October carjacking case that led to charges against two suspects for firearm possession after a prior felony conviction.
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