A St. Louis man, Cortez D. Sipes, 38, who last year engaged in a shootout with police, injuring two officers, was sentenced to 20 years on Friday, according to court documents from the St. Louis City Circuit Court. Sipes pleaded guilty on September 25 to first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful gun possession and resisting arrest before Circuit Judge Timothy Boyer as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Details from the court case reveal that on February 2, 2023, Sipes attempted to evade the police after being suspected in a robbery and subsequently opened fire when officers pursued his vehicle, which led to a chase through the Soulard Market area that ended with a crash and a shooting leaving officers wounded, Sipes admitted to shooting both officers in the upper body after which they returned fire, hitting him in the ankle; both officers survived the ordeal. Amid this action and consequence, Sipes' criminal history was brought to light with past convictions for assault on law enforcement and illegal gun possession.
In a courtroom filled with law enforcement personnel, Officer Sean Miskovic made a gesture of forgiveness towards his shooter, offering Sipes a red bible with an inscribed message of hope, "I pray for you, your family and your soul," Miskovic voiced his sentiment in court, as recounted by the St. Louis City Circuit Court records. Officer Lucas Roethlisberger, who similarly faced a life-threatening shooting while on duty in 2010, questioned Sipes on his motives for the attack.
During the court session, Sipes delivered an apology to the officers for his actions, "I thought I was going to die," said Roethlisberger remembering the moment the bullet hit him, I was wondering if I'd make it out alive, his words highlighting the gravity of the event, as per the St. Louis City Circuit Court. Well-wishes and contemplations of peace were exchanged in a courtroom, setting a scene contrasted against the severity of Sipes' 20-year sentencing — symbolic of a grim chapter's close in the broader narrative of crime and punishment, where realities of wounded bodies and scarred spirits occupy the same space as hopes for redemption and healing.
