A convicted felon from Belleville, Illinois caught in St. Louis with an AR-15-style rifle after a high-speed chase was convicted Tuesday of a federal gun charge.
Ryan Fleming, 31, was found guilty after a two-day trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23 and could face up to 10 years in prison.
Early in the morning of Sept. 24, 2021, a Hyundai Sonata being sought by police in Illinois in connection with an alleged assault on a law enforcement officer was spotted and pursued by Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers, according to charging documents. Fleming, who was driving at speeds reaching 100 m.p.h. on Interstate 70, crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to exit in downtown St. Louis. He got out with a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semi-automatic rifle but dropped it and ran. He was arrested nearby after a foot chase.
Fleming has prior convictions in Illinois including drug possession and two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
