Three Metro East Men Admit Downtown St. Louis Carjacking

ST. LOUIS – Three men from Illinois have pleaded guilty and admitted carjacking a driver in downtown St. Louis and shooting at an Illinois State Police trooper who was pursuing them.

Davon McLorn, 32, of Madison County, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Abduelah Jones, 28, of East St. Louis, and Kasey Richardson, 30, of Belleville, have already pleaded guilty. Jones pleaded guilty to carjacking and is serving a 73-month prison sentence. Richardson pleaded guilty to both the carjacking and the firearm charge.

On Jan. 27, 2024, the three approached a man who was sitting in his parked 2013 Nissan Sentra near Convention Plaza and North 7th Street, according to their plea agreements. McLorn smashed out the driver’s side window and forcibly removed the victim from the car. McLorn, who was holding a pistol, then robbed the victim of his wallet and cellphone and stole the car. McLorn and the others then drove across the Eads Bridge into Illinois, where an Illinois State Police trooper tried to conduct a traffic stop. McLorn and his companions fled, firing about six times at the trooper, striking the windshield and other parts of the cruiser. After the stolen vehicle crashed, McLorn and others fled on foot before being captured.

A sentencing memorandum filed in Jones’ case says the men planned on taking the stolen vehicle to a “chop shop” to be sold for parts, and spent over an hour smoking, drinking and joyriding in the stolen vehicle before being spotted by the trooper.

Richardson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17 and McLorn on January 20.

The Illinois State Police and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.