ST. LOUIS — A Belleville man was sentenced to seven years behind bars for an armed carjacking that happened near downtown St. Louis.
On May 31, 2018, the victim told police he was sitting in his car at the BP gas station at Chouteau and 14th Street when Timothy Blassingame and Andre King ordered him to get out. King pointed a revolver at the victim.
Police said later that night, officers in East St. Louis spotted the stolen SUV and tried to pull over the driver, but Blassingame and King sped off, leading to a high-speed chase with police from Illinois into Missouri. They rammed a police car during the chase, police said. They tried to run off after crashing in north St. Louis County. Officers were able to take them into custody.
Blassingame was 17 years old at the time. He’s now 19 years old.
A judge sentenced him Wednesday to 84 months in prison for armed carjacking. He’s still facing charges in Illinois for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and armed robbery. The judge specified that whatever his sentence is in that case, it will be served consecutively to the seven years he already received.
“To the young people in our community, know that you have a choice when it comes to guns: Pick one up or put it down. We want you to put it down,” said United States Attorney Jeff Jensen after the sentencing Wednesday. “In the last two years, this office has doubled the number of federal prosecutions of individuals who have chosen to pick up firearms and commit violent acts with them. This specifically includes increased prosecution of juveniles."
