ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A man is facing charges Tuesday after he allegedly punched and spat blood at law enforcement officers during an arrest for driving a stolen car the day before in Jennings, according to the St. Louis County Police Department.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Carl Terry, 44, on Tuesday with multiple counts, including assault on a law enforcement officer, and resisting arrest.
He is currently held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
Detectives found Terry driving a reportedly stolen car at around 3 p.m. on Monday, according to a press release from the St. Louis County Police Department. Terry allegedly started to drive recklessly when they tried to pull him over. The chase continued until Terry drove to his house near the 8800 block of Blewett Avenue in Jennings.
Terry got out of the car and ran towards the home and detectives chased him inside, police allege.
Officers and Terry started to fight when police attempted to detain Terry, the department said. During the struggle, Terry reportedly got ahold of the detective's AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Detectives took the rifle back during the fight.
Terry and detectives hit each other during the fight, police allege. Officers hit Terry enough to cause his mouth to bleed and he allegedly spat blood on two officers. The detectives eventually took Terry into custody, where he threatened them and reportedly spat blood in a third detective's face.
Terry, after he was arrested, told police he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS and can be contracted through infected blood. Hospital personnel later confirmed that Terry tested positive for HIV. People can be infected with the virus and not have AIDS; they do not have AIDS until they develop serious symptoms. Many people infected with the virus are healthy for years.
Police searched the reportedly stolen car and found a bag containing a pistol, Terry's driver's license and birth record underneath the front passenger seat. The car was taken to a tow lot.
Police also searched Terry and allegedly found several capsules of what appeared to be fentanyl inside his pant pocket.
St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Drug Enforcement detectives are conducting an ongoing investigation.
