EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Belleville, Illinois, man appeared in federal court on Tuesday to be sentenced for brandishing and firing a gun during a 2021 incident in East St. Louis.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Ladarius Roberts, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Roberts and a friend, Kievonte Beasley, met two women in East St. Louis in January 2021. Prosecutors said when the women tried to leave their company, Roberts got angry.

Roberts admitted to attacking one of the women and shattering the rear windshield of that woman’s vehicle. Roberts and Beasley left in one car, with the women following in another car while on the phone with police dispatchers.

During the 911 call, dispatchers could hear the sound of gunfire. One of the women said Roberts was shooting at them.

Police eventually caught up with Roberts and Beasley in their car. Beasley tried to run away but was apprehended, along with Roberts. Police recovered a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine, which Beasley tried to toss while fleeing.

Roberts was on probation for a drug charge at the time of the incident, prosecutors said.

A U.S. Circuit Court judge sentenced Roberts to six years in federal prison, plus three years of supervised release.

Meanwhile, Beasley faces a gun charge in state court for this incident.