ST. LOUIS – A previously-convicted felon from St. Louis appeared in federal court Monday and was sentenced for being caught with firearms following a police chase.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Eric Davis, 31, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the plea agreement, St. Louis police officers spotted a 2016 Jeep Cherokee moving without a license plate on May 4, 2021. The SUV blew past a stop sign at Minerva and Hamilton avenues, and police gave chase.
Officers tried to stop the Jeep in a parking lot, but Davis sped off even after police deployed a spike strip.
Davis ran a red light at Kingshighway Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and collided with another vehicle, injuring that driver. Police arrested Davis at the scene.
Investigators confirmed the Jeep had been stolen less than 48 hours earlier. They found a stolen AR-style pistol on the backseat and a .357-caliber Glock 32 under the passenger seat. Both weapons had large-capacity magazines.
Davis admitted telling his girlfriend, who was in the Jeep with him, to hide a baggie containing prescription pills including oxycodone.
Police learned Davis had several prior felony convictions and bench warrants for his arrest at the time of the crash.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Davis to eight years in federal prison.
