A 23-year-old Florissant man, Jorden M. Owens, has entered a guilty plea to charges stemming from a high-speed chase through St. Louis that resulted in a city worker being struck and injured. The incident took place back in December of last year but continues to resonate in the community, highlighting ongoing concerns around public safety and crime in the city.
Owens admitted in federal court on Tuesday that he was in possession of a stolen Lexus RC350 during the chase, as well as a significant amount of drugs and an illegally modified firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri. Attempting to quickly flee the scene, Owens' actions forced scores of employees from a nearby business to scatter for safety and, ultimately, led to a collision with a city worker's vehicle. This individual, an employee of the City of St. Louis Traffic Division, was subsequently hospitalized due to the injuries sustained.
The pursuit initiated when St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Owens near the confluence of Page Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue. As detailed by the Justice Department's release, attempts were made to safely apprehend Owens through the use of spike strips, however, he responded with increased speed and eventually lost control of the vehicle. After a foot chase, Owens was apprehended, despite resisting arrest, and found to be carrying a Glock .40-caliber pistol with an auto sear, which converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon.
The aftermath of this event reveals that, in addition to the firearm, Owens had been in possession of a significant drug cache, specifically, "more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl," the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Each count of his offense carries a sentence of five to 40 years in prison, with Owens slated to receive his sentence on November 3. The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth.
