ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Dellwood man was charged after leading police on a pursuit with a child in the backseat on Tuesday.
According to the St. Louis County Police probable cause statement, the incident started Tuesday after a police officer noticed a heavy-tinted Dodge Charger driving with no license plate.
Police say once they made a U-turn to follow the Charger, Emmett Jefferson, 22, accelerated at a high rate of speed and drove around multiple cars at a stop sign.
When police illuminated their lights to initiate the stop, authorities say Jefferson didn’t pull over and instead drove into oncoming traffic, causing other drivers to take measures to avoid a collision.
According to police, the officer stopped his pursuit of Jefferson, and a helicopter took over to follow Jefferson across several subdivisions in St. Louis County.
Police say the Charger came to a stop after deploying a tire deflation device, which punctured multiple tires on the vehicle.
When officers approached the vehicle, police say they found Jefferson in the driver’s seat and arrested him.
Police say they also found an adult female woman in the passenger seat and a 3-year-old child in the backseat. The child was not wearing a seatbelt and was not in a car seat. According to police, Jefferson allegedly said he knew he “f—– up.”
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Jefferson with resisting arrest by fleeing and endangering the welfare of a child. Jefferson is currently out after posting 10% of his $15,000 bond. He is next set to appear in court on August 19 in a criminal setting.
