Man Admits Fleeing from St. Louis Police with Gun, Drugs

ST. LOUIS– A man from St. Louis, Missouri who fled from police with drugs and a gun pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal felonies.

Anthony B. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

On July 18, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in O’Fallon Park spotted Jones, who was wearing a mask and appeared to be carrying a gun. The officers made a U-turn, at which point Jones ran across the road and hid behind a car before running away. Police found a .223-caliber, CBC Industries AR-style pistol with a brass catcher and a large-capacity magazine in the car. Jones had left the car door open, his plea agreement says.

Jones then dropped a messenger-style bag that contained a baggie of fentanyl and 46 capsules containing fentanyl. Police ultimately had to use a Taser to take Jones into custody, his plea says.

On October 8, 2021, St. Louis police saw Jones accelerate and run a red light in the College Hill neighborhood. Jones, who was in a gray Pontiac Grand Prix, refused to stop and instead accelerated to a high speed after police activated their lights and siren. Officers used a spike strip to deflate Jones’ rear tires, but he drove another three miles before bailing out of the car on College Avenue and running into the backyard of a home.

Officers found Jones crouching in a small stairwell at the back of the house. He was holding a pistol with a large-capacity magazine raised in the direction from which he expected the police to approach, but dropped it when several officers simultaneously converged on the area, his plea agreement says. He also had a satchel containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Jones told officers that he ran the red light because he saw the police and was concerned that the Grand Prix had been stolen. 

At his sentencing in October, both prosecutors and Jones’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison. The gun charge carries a mandatory minimum term of five years consecutive to any other sentence.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.