St. Louis Man Who Struck Officer While Fleeing Sentenced to Prison

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who struck a St. Charles police officer while trying to flee was sentenced Thursday to 63 months in prison.

On July 11, 2022, officers from the St. Charles Police Department were called to a Waffle House and found Ameer Raff-Covington, now 32, passed out behind the wheel of a Mazda SUV. Officers had also been told that Raff-Covington had been involved in a dispute with a waitress earlier. Once awakened, Raff-Covington refused to get out of the SUV and provided a false date of birth and Social Security number to police. After being told he was under arrest, Raff-Covington put the SUV in reverse, striking an officer in the knee and pinning him between his car and another vehicle, according to Raff-Covington’s plea agreement. Raff-Covington also struck two vehicles and two Ameren electrical boxes. He stopped when officers held him at gunpoint. After Raff-Covington was removed from the vehicle, officers found a stolen Glock handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console.

Raff-Covington pleaded guilty in August to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case.