Federal jury finds Belleville man guilty of possessing an assault weapon as a felon

It took a federal court jury in St. Louis just one day to find a Belleville man guilty of possessing an AR-15-style rifle despite being a convicted felon.

Ryan Fleming, 31, was convicted on a single charge Tuesday, after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase on Interstate-70 in 2021.

According to St. Clair County court records, Fleming had prior felony weapons and drug convictions. In 2014 and in 2016, he was charged in a circuit court with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He’s scheduled for sentencing in the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on May 23 and could receive up to 10 years in federal prison.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2021, according to the criminal complaint, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officers pursued a Hyundai Sonata that was being sought in Illinois in connection with an alleged assault on a law enforcement officer. Fleming was behind the wheel.

The chase reached speeds of up to 100 mph before the Sonata crashed into a concrete barrier while attempting to exit in downtown St. Louis.

Fleming exited the car with a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semi-automatic rifle, but dropped it and tried to flee on foot, court records state. He was arrested after a foot chase.

The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Illinois

State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.