A 27-year-old Festus man was arrested after he was spotted standing on the side of an I-55 bridge that spans the Meramec River and leading police on a short chase. The man, a convicted felon, also allegedly was found with defaced guns, Arnold Police reported.
Arnold and St. Louis County police were called at about 9:15 p.m. June 28 to the bridge after the man was seen standing next to a white van stopped along the northbound side of the interstate. St. Louis County Police arrived first, and when they pulled behind the van, the man quickly drove away, the report said.
The man exited the interstate at Meramec Bottom Road but got back on southbound I-55. He then pulled over on the bridge, and Arnold Police officers approached him, according to the report.
The man falsely identified himself twice before officers discovered his real name through the van’s registration record. The officer learned the man previously had been convicted of a felony, and he was wanted on a warrant from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for felony possession of a controlled substance, the report said.
The officers arrested the man. When they searched the van, they allegedly found a bookbag that contained two defaced .9mm handguns and two smoking pipes with burnt residue, Arnold Police reported.
The man was taken to the Police Station but then transferred to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County for evaluation after he allegedly made suicidal statements. Arnold Police alerted the Sheriff’s Office to the man’s arrest and transfer to the hospital, Detective Lt. Jason Valentine said.
He said Arnold Police will seek charges against the man through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for interfering with an arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful use of weapon, Valentine said.