A Florissant man has pleaded guilty to drug and firearm charges after fleeing from St. Louis police and injuring a city employee during a chase in December 2024.
Jorden M. Owens, 23, admitted in federal court on Tuesday to one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. According to authorities, Owens was seen by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers near Page Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue in a stolen Lexus RC350 coupe on December 12, 2024.
Officers began following Owens along Grand Boulevard and attempted to stop him using spike strips. Owens accelerated away, driving recklessly and forcing about 60 employees of a local business crossing near Tucker Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue to move out of his path. At the intersection of 7th Street and Cerre Street, he struck an employee from the City of St. Louis Traffic Division before crashing into her work truck.
Police said that after fleeing the crash scene on foot, Owens violently resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody. He was found carrying a Glock .40-caliber pistol modified with an auto sear device that converted it into a fully automatic weapon. In addition, police recovered three cell phones, approximately 824.7 grams (1.8 pounds) of methamphetamine, and 342 grams of fentanyl from the vehicle.
Owens is set for sentencing on November 3. Each charge carries a potential sentence ranging from five to forty years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth.
