ST. LOUIS — A Belleville man was sentenced to nearly a decade in prison after a police-involved shooting in 2021.
According to a press release from U.S. State's Attorney Sayler A. Fleming, Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Ryan Fleming, 31, to eight years in prison. Fleming was a convicted felon caught with an AR-15-style rifle in St. Louis.
Fleming was found guilty by a federal jury in February of being a felon in possession of a firearm as a result of the incident that led to his arrest.
Fleming was initially spotted driving a Hyundai Sonata in the early morning hours of September 24, 2021, by a Washington Park police officer who was responding to a call regarding a shooting nearby.
A police pursuit ensued shortly after the officer arrived at the scene, when someone in Fleming’s car fired a series of gunshots at the officer's vehicle, according to court documents.
The Hyundai involved in the shooting was seen and then tailed by St. Louis police officers. Fleming, who was allegedly driving at speeds reaching 100 mph on Interstate 70, crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to exit in downtown St. Louis, the state's attorney said.
He exited from the Hyundai with a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semi-automatic rifle but dropped it on the ground and ran off. He was arrested nearby after a foot chase by police.
Illinois State Police and St. Louis police investigated the incident.
Fleming was previously convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
