A Ferguson man’s desperate attempt to evade the law has landed him a 19-year prison sentence.
On July 19, 2021, Anthony Willis, now 30, fled from St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers who tried to pull him over after he failed to stop at a stop sign in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood.
Willis drove past another stop sign before other officers used spike strips to deflate his tires. He kept driving until he hit another vehicle at Goodfellow and Natural Bridge, then got out and ran. He was caught a short distance away. Willis left a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun in the car.
As a convicted felon, Willis is barred from possessing a firearm. Willis was convicted of the 2010 robbery of a Del Taco in St. Louis and the robbery of a Popeye’s Chicken manager in St. Louis County on two occasions in 2010. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was on parole at the time of the police chase.
Due to his prior convictions, he was considered an “armed career criminal,” which meant he faced a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
A jury found Willis guilty of a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm on November 16.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.
Willis’s reckless actions have earned him a lengthy sentence, a stark reminder of the consequences of breaking the law.
Related Federal Cases
- Harris Ceaser III, Possession of Firearm as Felon, St. Louis MO, 2014 · Missouri
- Malik Rashod Miller, Felon with Firearm, Missouri 2024 · Missouri
- Sheltkeem Brown, Felon with Firearm, Missouri 2022 · Illinois
- Kenneth Jordan, Illegal Firearm Possession, Missouri 2023 · Arkansas
- Dawon Hennings, Felon Gun Possession, Missouri 2022 · Indiana
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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