Arnold Police helped St. Louis County Police arrest a man who has been charged in St. Louis County for allegedly shooting at two women while chasing them on Telegraph Road. One of the women was shot at least one, authorities reported.
Arnold Police also have applied for charges against the man, Detective Lt. Jeremy Christopher said.
Jermaine Thurman, 49, of St. Louis was arrested at about 1:20 a.m. March 6 on Starling Airport Road near Wren Drive after Arnold Police pursued him. An officer chased a Toyota Sienna minivan Thurman drove from southbound Telegraph Road to northbound Jeffco Boulevard, with the pursuit reaching speeds of up to 75 mph, Arnold Police reported.
Thurman stopped the van on Starling Airport Road after St. Louis County Police joined the chase. Officers allegedly found a cartridge casing in the Sienna, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
On the morning of the arrest, Thurman had been waiting outside his former girlfriend’s south St. Louis County apartment, and when the woman saw the minivan Thurman was in, she drove away, the report said.
At 1:14 a.m., St. Louis County Police were called after gunshots were heard in the area around Telegraph Road and Kinston Drive, where Thurman allegedly was chasing and shooting at the car the women were in, authorities reported.
An Arnold Police officer saw the two vehicles enter the city on Telegraph Road and pulled behind the car when it stopped on the side of the road, and Thurman continued to drive south in the minivan, Arnold Police reported.
The car had been struck by bullets, and the passenger had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment, the probable-cause statement said.
No injuries were reported for Thurman’s former girlfriend.
On March 6, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Thurman with first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon, both class A felonies; first-degree domestic assault, a class B felony; unlawful possession of a weapon, a class D felony; and three counts of armed criminal action, an unclassified felony. He was being held in St. Louis County Jail on a $200,000 cash-only bond as of March 15 according to court records.
Each of the class A felonies is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and the class B felony carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison. The class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison, and each of the unclassified felonies carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison.
Christopher said Arnold Police will seek charges against Thurman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for resisting arrest, driving with a suspended license, and careless and imprudent driving.
Thurman is a convicted felon and not allowed to have a gun, court records show.
In November 1999, he pleaded guilty to assault, felonious restraint and two counts of armed criminal action in St. Louis and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to court documents.